Junco Building a Nest

[Carol Hiler]

Last year we had a Junco make a nest in a flower pot full of moss up on the top shelf of a baker's rack on our front porch.  I have since replaced that flower pot with another about a week ago.  This morning, I noticed a Junco fly out from the flower pot.  When she was well out of range, I checked the flower pot and, sure enough, she has already built a substantial nest in the moss.

Last year, the Junco had built a nest, abandoned it for awhile, and then came back to lay her eggs and raise her 4 babies.  I'll keep an eye on progress this year to see if the same thing happens.

Carol Hiler

N. Albany

[Lisa Millbank]

That's neat that she has come back to the flower pot for a second year!  I've never seen a junco nesting high above the ground like that. 

Good to point out that the female can wait a while to lay eggs after the nest is finished.  I think cold weather can delay laying, but maybe some females just get the nest done quickly, and they aren't quite ready to lay eggs immediately.  Someone once told me that a bluebird had completed a nest in her yard and then seemed to disappear, but then she came back and laid the first egg 2 weeks later.  Nest box owners should keep in mind that a nest might not be abandoned even if the female doesn't seem to be around and there are no eggs.

Lisa Millbank

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[Mary Garrard]

A friend of mine who lives on the fourth floor of a condominium building in Portland had a junco pair nest in one of her patio plant containers last year. The pair successfully fledged three young. Sadly, the pair was observed repeatedly going to the nest after the first three had fledged. She later discovered that a fourth nestlings had died. Once the fledglings were big enough the family disappeared. My friend hopes they will return for another season. 

Mary

___________

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. The Dalai Lama

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[Carol Hiler]

Yes, it's some very interesting behavior to watch.  I sat in a chair in the yard about 25 feet from the porch today and watched her fly in with a beak full of grass.  The male often flies in with her and either sits very close to the nest or on a branch of a nearby bush while she is putting the grass in the nest.  He keeps a very close eye on her, even while she is foraging in the yard for nesting material.  I should have kept notes last year but I think I recall both parents feeding the young.

[byrne4...@gmail.com]

what size was the flower pot?  I want to try that on my porch or deck.

[byrne4...@gmail.com]

I forgot to add:   what kind of flower pot?  was it plastic?