New residents -what to do? A dilemma!

[Feltwell]

I've left the nest alone just in case she decides to return.

And she has!

On the one hand, I'm pleased to see her back and hope she manages to raise some young. On the other hand, I'm now not going to be able to do much in my garage for 4 weeks or so whilst the eggs incubate and then I wait for the young to fledge.

I might have to do some jobs that Mrs F wants doing in the house now

 

[Penners]

I might have to do some jobs that Mrs F wants doing in the house now

Good grief, Feltwell - are you mad?! Just think of the precedent that will set! Once you start doing the jobs that she wants doing there'll be no end to it.

Resist this insane impulse at all costs. If you truly can't find anything else to do, carry a clipboard around with a thoughtful look on your face.

 

[Feltwell]

I've resisted today Penners - as it's dry the poor neglected garden has been getting some attention, at least those bits that don't have birds nesting in it have! I've been digging out tree stumps - by'eck it's hard work, I feel about 90 years old now.

But when it's a wet day, the list of Feltwell excuses as to exactly why I shouldn't do certain long overdue jobs is going to be stretched pretty thin I fear......

 

[Penners]

But think of the satisfaction to be had from creating an entirely new, hitherto unused excuse.

Apply yourself urgently to the task, man, while there's still time.

 

[Feltwell]

As ever Penners, your sage words of wisdom have inspired me to pursue greater things - in this case thinking up some new excuses for Mrs F. It will be a challenge though - she's heard a lot of them over the years.......

 

[Penners]

Nothing worth doing is ever easy... :wink:

 

[Delta]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but here's an illustration of how tolerant nesting birds can be.
As shown below somebody found the scaffolding rather useful, but the blue tits put up with it -

 

[Feltwell]

On popping into the garage over the last few days, there has been no sign of Mrs Blackbird - and I've never seen Mr Blackbird. Fearing the worst, I plucked up the courage to get the ladders and get up close to the nest to have a peek - and found that it contained 1 unhatched egg, but fortuneately no dead chicks.

No sign of blackbirds in the garage, so I hoped they'd got out - so I shut the windows, and then had the fright of my life as something flapped a few inches past my face. There was Mrs Blackbird, sat there looking at me with a mouth full of worms - and her fledgling suddenly emerged from behind a pile of wood and started cheeping for the food. I opened the windows again and beat a hasty retreat.

Went back in half an hour later, the fledgling was still there and it was obvious there was no way it was going to get out - so I decided to risk catching it and putting it outside, hoping it's mother wouldn't abandon it. I trapped it in a box, rushed it outside and set it down outside the window - stepped back 2 paces and mum suddenly appeared, looking very warily at me. Quick get back inside the garage, looked out and there was mum busy feeding the fledgling. Phew! Fledgling then quickly hopped off into the undergrowth, so hopefully the local cats won't get it.

I know I'm soft, but I'm so relieved that they're OK. Next year she can find somewhere else to nest though!

 

[Flyfisher]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but here's an illustration of how tolerant nesting birds can be.
As shown below somebody found the scaffolding rather useful, but the blue tits put up with it -

Unfortunately, I think they put up with such things because their instincts are so strong that they can do little else. When we had scaffolding that enabled our cat to climb onto the roof, she would sit in the gutter and wait for the swifts that nest under the pantiles. I'm sad to say we lost quite a few swifts that year, though I was glad when they still returned the following year.