Saturday, May 10, 2008

...And there's more!

About a week ago a couple of pigeons were making trips to and from atop the brick column of the pergola, a few feet away from the basket. They were building a nest. A few days later, while watering my plants I found one of them sitting on the nest already. There is a drawback though about the place. It is easily accessible to predators. There is a grape trunk winding its way along the column to the top of the pergola. The nest is in danger of lurking cats, lizards, rats and other rodents. There is no way we can protect the nest.

Click photo to enlarge.

Three days after I found the nest, I went back to check on it...and...gasp...it's no longer there. The place was clean, no trace of the nest at all. I looked down and there it is the remains of the nest, right down below, strewn on top of my plant.


Oh, sad, so sad. A predator got to it before the eggs were hatched. The attacker must be that big cat with bushy gray unkempt fur, walking nonchalantly in my backyard. Why that f&%c$#i&n%g? I am so mad at these cats who stroll in my backyard like it's their own. I should get a big dog to chase them out of my property.

I only hope that the birds find a good safe place for their next nest.


On the other side of the pergola, there is good news.

The eggs in the basket have hatched!


The chicks are tucked under the mom or dad.

What I have observed with this kind of birds is that the couple share the responsibilities. They build the nest together; they take turn brooding; and perhaps feeding the hatchlings. I have seen one of them fly in, and takes its turn; and the other one takes off.

To this day, mom or dad is still brooding the chicks.

There is a lot of activity going on in the backyard, if I look close enough. Aside from the pigeons that have been nesting in my pergola, other birds have turned to shrubs or trees.

I have noticed recently that a small bird keeps flying in and out of this juniper shrub. I thought I would satisfy my curiosity by looking in the thick foliage.

And, voila, this is what I found...a small nest with some eggs. To me they look like quail eggs.

I'll keep an eye on it, and shoo away creatures on the hunt for food.

29 comments:

Vk-mahalkaayo said...

Happy Mother´s day, Mari.....
how do you celebrated it?

kawawa naman sa birds mo, kawawa, kinain sa cats?

sigi, kuha ka na lang malaking aso, para hindi na sila papasok sa yard mo.

pati yon mga cats na malaking head....takot din.,

thanks for sharing

Vk-mahalkaayo said...

ang ganda ng tree mo, you have trim it very nice....ang ganda.

makita, ang ganda ng weather nyo dyan....sunny days talaga.

ay oo nga dito, we have already a nice day, parang summer na.
happy talaga ako, kahit na maliit ang balcon namin, pero OK na...

dito na ako palagi, making a nap and stay mostly of my time.

i am very happy.....na homesick na ako sa pinas.....

have a nice sunday to you

Anonymous said...

missy, your place is a definite haven. it's just sad to think that these birds are in danger whereever they go - those +^&*@! lurk everywhere.

is there a number to call there i.e. agency or group that can take care of these birds from the hatching stage and so on? who knows, these birds could be one of those endangered species?

Pepe said...

That one in the juniper shrub migt be a robin's or a hummingbird's nest Mari....! So sorry for the other nest, but there's still more to come.... Keep putting some more nest, boxes, and baskets....! I like the sound of birds in the morning....! =D

Nance said...

darn, darn, darn! those eggs didn't have a chance! i feel bad for the mama & the papa :(

my problem here are the deer, they ate all the tops of my oriental lilies today! $%#@&^% ... frustrating!

Anonymous said...

Mari,maybe theyve just moved?is it possible?i love the juniper shrub!!this one thing is part of my "changing",hehe..i want more plants and trees although they cant fit in my tiny yard,LOL!

birds are like human ano?the couple take care of their kids together..

ive never heard from Nona,im wondering why she doesnt visit often recently nga...i hope theyre all safe...

Mari said...

vicki,
My Mother's Day celebration was a simple lunch at a buffet restaurant. Lunch kasi mura sa tanghali. LOL But it's okay.

Maganda ngayon ang panahon dito, kaya lang pagdating ng Mierkoles iinit na naman ng mga 100 F degrees. Hindi bale, kaysa naman ulan ng ulan, o tornado na kaya. Argh.

Salamat sa bisita dito sa akin...I appreciate it.

Mari said...

nini,
I think, that's how it goes...survival of the fittest.

I'll ask around if they do that.

Thanks for the visit.

Mari said...

pepe,
It could be a robin's nest. Definitely not a hummingbird's as it is big enough to hold an orange fruit in it.

Yes, there will be more. I, too, love to hear them chirping in my backyard, esp. in the morning.

Thanks for dropping by.

Mari said...

ghee,
They moved to a bigger place. LOL

A shrub at the far end, of your yard, would look nice, and some small plants around it.

I guess, we'll have to wait till Nona shows up. I really hope and pray they are okay.

Thanks for the visit.

Anonymous said...

belated happy mom's day!

birds seem to be attracted to you and your home ha? they know someone who cares lives there...

Anonymous said...

Hi again,Mari,

Nona left me a comment that theyre safe daw.and thanx for the concern.here,I cut and paste her message:

Thanks nga pala sa concern Ghee, and also to Mari…na-touch ako sa inyo. Please tell Mari we’re safe here, thank you. Di kasi ako makapasok sa blogspot ngayon.

Vk-mahalkaayo said...

hello mari,
nagpunta ako kahapon dito, bago kami nag biking sa forest namin....lol
jokes only....hindi kaya ang mag-ari ng forest ano?...hehehhe

kaya lang, post ako ng post, laging error, hope ngayon hindi ma-error, hindi accepted ang comments ko, ewan kaya....

kaya suko na ako, kasi naghintay na sila sa akin----

pasa ko muna kung mag-error.....

Vk-mahalkaayo said...

wow, yon pumasok, bakit kaya kahapon wla....

takbo ako dito kahapon kasi natuwa ako sa word na ito...kaya siguro hindi ako pasokin...

Corrupt.....heheheh
naala-ala ko rin last week, hindi ako maka pasok sa internet....kasi laging nagsabi, na baka daw ang line namin, wla or anything....

i think, baka napotolan kami ng linya, hindi ba naka bayad si bernie?....lol

kagaya ba sa pinas, pag hindi nakabayad ng tel, tubig, koryente, putol ka agad....lol

tapos, tumawag ako ki bernie, na sabi wla linya ng internet....asked ako baka hindi nya nabayaran....lol

sabi nya, hindi nabayaran, direct booking yan sa konto daw....lol

pagganito, panic ako, naisip ko sa pinas.....lol

kasi napotolan kami ng koryente, hindi ko yon makalimutan...at the same time, nag-aaral ako, exam pa, tapos wlang ilaw....candles na lang bigay ni mama sa amin....lol

bakit kaya yon hindi nabayaran?...or brown.out....

nakalimutan ko na yon....

Vk-mahalkaayo said...

hope ok na ang pc mo....
hindi na nag-corrupt siya....lol

ay oo nga, ewan si kim ba, kuha nya yon...patong paa sa upoan, sabi ko putulin nya yon, kasi hindi maganda.

sabi nya, automatic daw...minsan sabihin pa sa akin....ikaw rin mama....

ewan ba, automatic, parang comfort ako pagnakapatong yon paa...like my lola-pinay, really, ganito kasi siya, at closed ako sa kanya, at palagi ako sa kanya noon.

pero, naobserved ko rin sa mga pinay, not all.....ganoon din, pati mga anak nila.

ano ito? cultura....lol
or sickness.......nakahiya minsan.
magalit si bernie n sascha n fam. ni bernie din....hindi naman magalit, pero....words na may laman.

sigi, maraming slamat sa visit ha?

coming days, bc kaunti, pro silip din ako dito.

bye and have a nice sunny days....huwag tornado....kawawa sa burma n china ano?....daming patay daw.

dyan din, may tornado rin....saan ba yon......

regards

MeMeMe said...

Hi Mari, thank you for your visit and kind words, and for the nesting season camera :) Like you, what I like the least is seeing ruined nests and... feathers... on the grass. No I don't want to see death - i cannot stand it - not the side of a helpless, lifeless, frozen or bitten- little bird.

a robin made a new nest under our deck when some predator attacked the old nest.

Mari said...

tina,
Thanks for the Mother's Day greeting.

The birds like my messy yard. He he he

Thanks for the visit.

Mari said...

ghee,
Thanks for forwarding me Nona's message. I'm glad she and her husband are all right.

Mari said...

vicki,
Sorry di makapasok agad ang comment mo. Ako rin kelangan 2 beses kong ipadala para makapasok. Siguro meron na namang sakit (virus) itong pc ko. Bagong palit lang ang hard drive ko may sakit na kaagad. LOL

Nagpalit na rin ako ng operating system. Hindi na Windows para di na laging may sakit (virus). LOL

Thanks for the visit again.

Mari said...

jeannie,
Yeah, it's sad to see them lying lifeless on the ground. The same with the eggs when they are devoured by predators.

I'm keeping watch on the nest in the juniper. The eggs are still there - all 5 of them. The chicks in the basket have flown away.

Hope you're feeling much better.

Thanks for the visit.

Gina said...

Hmmm, too bad that the cat is turning an otherwise safe haven for our transient feathered friends rather unsafe...

Your place tho' is quite a 'happening place' with all the birthing and the hatching =))

Nova said...

too bad.. those cats were totally mean...


thanks for sharing this...

Mari said...

gina,
Such is life, even for small creatures like our feathered friends.

Thanks for the visit.


jeff & nova,
Thanks for dropping by.

Anonymous said...

i am so, so amused by the fact that your place has become a bird "paanakan." :D pero kawawa naman yung isa, ginawang pulutan :(

Mari said...

lady cess,
"pulutan" cracked me up. lol talaga.

It truly is a 'paanakan' place for the birds. A hummingbird started rebuilding an old nest in my patio pergola a couple of days ago. Isn't that something?

Thanks for dropping by.

Wedding Glitters said...

what a nice sight ... bird's nest with eggs :)

Mari said...

wedding glitters,
Yeah, this is a sight we rarely see and there it is in my backyard.

Thanks for your visit.

Anonymous said...

This is really nice..i love birds, i love hearing their chirps.

Love your discovery Mari :-).

BTW, how's ur virtual earning?

Mari said...

gladys,
Yeah, they are a joy to listen to.

Nah, I haven't gotten to it; haven't applied yet.

Thanks for the drop.