Looks like the nursery's open again!

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

For some reason, tree swallows like building nests in my balcony. Not sure why since my cats like to sun themselves out there too. My poor cats get dive bombed when they're out there, so looks like balcony time will be limited this year.

Over the last 5 years, I've had at least one batch of eggs hatch out of the nest each year, some years I've had 3 groups. The nest has been rebuilt at least three times. The baby birds go from some of the ugliest creatures imaginable to a little, miniature version of mommy. Towards the end of their tenure in the nest, there will be several days of flying lessons, where the babies line up on the balcony railing and mom will escort them out on flights.

So last winter, the nest got knocked down again and I noticed it was rebuilt this week and there are now birds living in it. So looks like there will be another batch born in a couple weeks.

It's fun to watch, but baby birds poop a lot and I hate cleaning the bird poop off my balcony. I also just planted my herbs and now have to move them since I've got the tables underneath the nest.

[Apple]

That sucks about all the crap, but it's got to be pretty cool to have such great front-row seats.

[TD2K]

Bird poop makes good fertilizer

[Deleted]

I have a tree right outside my bedroom window that a morning dove family always builds their nest in. They are pretty but MAN they are loud in the morning.

[Deleted]

I think with that title you are just leading up to telling TD something!

[Sammy]

Lulla by babe

Back to birds. My husband decided to cut the branches of a weeping cherry tree outside my kitchen window. Hacked the hell out of it and now the robins who have made nests in the tree for years are refusing to nest. To embarrassed I figure.

[DebMD (banned)]

When I had an apartment balcony I heavily sprinkled it with birdseed and would have many birds eat there. It was like my own bird sancturary: 12 sparrows 2 doves, 2 bluejays 1 cardinal all at the same time and fortunately despite all those birds there was no bird poop.

[CarolinaKat]

You can have my divebombing mocking bird! He thinks the tree outside my window and my mailbox are edges of his 'property,' so he sits in them and makes incessant noise. Not fun on a saturday. He and his lady friend nest in the large oak in the backyard and divebomb me, DBF, Cats, and my car whenever we're out in the yard. I'm pulling for a feline someone to eat him personally, although he's been around at least 5 years and is still unscathed

[Bluerobin]

Spend more time out there with the cats. The birds will move the nest, since they will no longer conside it safe.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Doesn't matter, Blue.....I normally do this anyway. I'll go out on the balcony to get herbs, pick tomatoes, prune dead branches off and sweep and the cats will come out with me. The birds really don't care that cats live here too.

In reality, I doubt if my cats really care about the birds. One of the babies fell from the nest and Gomez just sat there staring at it, not even touching it. I put it back in the nest and it fell out again and died. I think it was sick and mom pushed it out of the nest.

The cats have gotten smart and they sun themselves under my tiled tables so the birds can't get them.

I'll see if I can't find a previous year's pictures and post them here.

[dianartemis]

Robins nest in the tree just outside my bedroom window. My cat keeps trying to get through the window to get them.