So my parents have these really cheesy plastic hanging plants on their front porch. One of them is hanging about 3 feet from the front door.

Lately when I visit my parents and I walk past this one planter just at head hieght a tiny grayish bird flies out and scares the bejeezus out of me. I never considered what was going on. My father said they were stealing the material for a nest. Finally one day I tilted it down and looked inside to find a nest and 5 bright blue eggs the size of a grape.

So now I have to wonder. This bird chose this nest location near these big annoying humans who go in and out on a regular basis. The choice was obviously based on avoiding predators... but has to be balanced with the bigger predators who live in the house.

Clearly the "real" predators aren't going to go near the house, and the bird also must assume that the big pink primates aren't a threat. But how does the bird "know" this?

I checked and when I walk past the bird flies off. Once inside the house the bird IMMEDIATELY returns. Just seconds later. At night the darn thing doesn't even fly off at all... must be sleeping.

So the bird knows people are no threat? Does it somehow know that building a nest near people will scare larger birds and predators away?

I find this adaptation quite fascinating. I have yet to get a very close look at the bird to determine species, it is very fast. It is small and grayish but not a "sparrow". It has dark highlights or pepper-like stripes in the gray.

It will be very interesting when those buggers hatch. I may take some pictures or video.

-vern

LOL we have the same thing there is one on our back porch. I never thought of it like that though.

This year, we had robins build a nest inside our garage. My kids got to watch the whole process from the initial nest building, eggs, hatching, to naked little pink babies to feathers, feedings, first flights and lots of practice to finally leaving the nest forever.

The down side was all the bird crap everywhere.

But I think they chose it as a safe place. Safe from predators but also safe from the elements. (Does your parents porch have an overhang?) We would leave our garage open when we were home and the birds would come and go. At night they would sleep and sit on the nest until we awoke and opened the garage again. At first they would fly away whenever they saw us but they got used to it and it wasn't long until we could walk right up to the nest with them on it.
It was cool.

Yeah, I didn't get to see them fly but everything else I did. As for biznez I've never seen any from them but once a bird was flying over our house and it just dropped, lol that was pretty weird looking since it kept on flipping. (Now I have nine boxes yess!!!)

Yes the porch is covered. It has a roof and is in the corner formed by the garage and front of the house.

The planter where the nest is hangs right on the outer edge of the porch from the ceiling under the gutter. So it is a quick "getaway" when they need to fly off.

My parents have a fabulous location. The back yard is basically a huge forest. They live in this big suburban development (like the movie "Over The Hedge). The difference is that the woods behind the house is probably bigger than the development. Only a short strip of houses on one street have the woods in the backyard. There is also an antique old western railroad just beyond the back yard. An old fashioned steam engine runs by all summer and during christmas. Whenever there are visitors we are all obligated to go out when the train goes by to wave at the passengers.

There are TONS of predators... hawks, owls, foxes, snakes... big 6 foot black snakes (those were fun as a kid), cats (I see gray foxes running through my parents neighborhood at night... probably chasing all the darn rabbits running through the neighborhood at night.) I can understand a small bird looking for any advantage. I am just curious as to the true motivation. Is it just the location? Or the big pink scary primate things that chase off the nasty mean bird eaters? Are they intelligent enough to make the connection?

-vern

Maybe they think people are elephants and aren't a threat, kinda like the Red-Billed Oxpecker.

Birds are quite adaptable, its been reported that some places that birds have gotten lazy and are using the sign and lamp posts along the highway instead of trees and then they jump out just before cars pass below them because they know the car will produce a nice updraft and save them some work getting airborne.

Tools for the birds

That's kind of freaky.

What happens when they... turn on us?

Alfred Hitchcock might not have been so far off the mark.

-vern

This has been bugging me. My guess is it is some kind of Wren, perhaps a Carolina Wren? Is the tail is cocked at an upright angle ? - that's also a hint. Me need picture. A House wren, I believe has white eggs.

Wrens in general are about the size of sparrow, fast, speckled (may appear greyish as they whiz by or are dusty, but Carolina wrens are probably brownish). Wrens like to nest in planter boxes, can be aggressive - the "bright blue" egg throws me - I think their eggs can be mottled/speckled with blue, purple (have never seen it, have only read about it).

Other birds with blue eggs (but are probably too large from what you're describing, and probably don't nest in planter boxes): American Robin, Grey Catbird, Cuckoos, Cowbirds

PS - and yes, Wrens have been known to suck your blood at night and give you ebola. Very scary.

Speaking of birds...we had a nest of Killdeer in our yard for the past few weeks. For some reason, they build their nests on the ground, usually in a place with ground of bark or gravel-like consistency. The nest is completely camoflauged to the naked eye until about two or three meters away. How I avoided stepping on this nest before I marked it with a ring of stones, I don't know. Anyway, to defend the nest the parents take turns guarding it on foot. When a predator or any suspicious creature (such as a human) comes near, the adult bird begins to flap around in place, as if it had a broken wing. In theory, the predator would see that the parent would be much easier to catch and have more meat, so it would forget about the eggs. Once approached, the parent just flies a few meters away and begins the act again if you continue to approach the nest.

I don't know what's stranger: that they nest on the ground, letting their eggs be vulnerable to something stepping on them, or their defense mechanism...In all, very odd birds. I would post pictures, but the chicks were up and out of the nest within a day or so, and now nowhere to be found.

I can never get a good look at the darn thing. She is very fast. I think it does have the "up turned" tail though. She might be larger than I think but still small and slender... a little larger than a sparrow but "leaner" than a sparrow. Definitely not brown... maybe a slight brownish hue... "dusty" is a good description I think. I will take my camera along tonight when I visit and see if I can get a picture.

When she flies off she waits in the neighbors tree until I'm inside the house. I should be able to zoom in and get a shot of it.

She hides in the dang planter with just her tiny head sticking out of the plastic flowers watching me like a hawk (forgive the pun). It cracks me up because if I avert my gaze and turn my head and casually walk by she won't fly off. As soon as I make the slightest eye contact she's gone. I can even stand right under/next to the planter as long as my back is turned.

At night it is sort of creepy how she will watch as I walk past. Like some kind of tiny feathery harmless sphinx... don't make eye contact don't make eye contact... look away look away.

Dang eggs haven't hatched yet. Got worried last night with the big storm that came through. That planter was swinging in the breeze. Must be like living on a house boat.

I have a better clue why she chose the planter. My parents have an automatic garage door now and almost never go out the front door anymore. They always leave and enter the house through the garage. I'm the only person who walks past the porch to the front door when I visit in the evening. I bet that bird really hates me. She probably thought it was the perfect location till I showed up.

-vern

Funny you should mention that, Vern. Just this week I noticed a nest in our covered entry way. I came home from work at the usual time (last Monday) and as I was picking up the mail I heard these faint chirps. Sounded almost like hummingbirds. As I started looking for the source, a small greyish bird flew real fast, which revealed the location of the nest. And the chirping stopped once the bird flew away.

I thought how amazing the instinct of the chicks to keep quiet when the parent is away. I also thought of how strange it seemed for this bird to nest in the front door entery where my wife and I constantly use. Even the mail man has to come in the entry way to deliver our mail, so it isn't really secluded.

Here's a quick pic of the nest. I didn't want to get the ladder for a closer pic cuz I heard them chirping without the mommy. I didn't want to disturb them at all.

CATBIRD!!!!

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds...atbird_dtl.html

The only birds in my area with SMALL blue eggs this size would be a hermit thrush or a catbird... and a robin, but I already know it isn't a robin and the eggs were smaller.

I checked the little bugger and sure enough... matches the description. It's a catbird.

The photo in the link above doesn't show it clearly but the bird book I checked shows a black "cap" on the head. The bird at my parents house most definitely has this black cap over the top of the head.

Mystery solved.

EDIT:

Camera shy bird was uncooperative. She would not allow the camera close enough for a clear shot using zoom and the flash. I will attempt a shot during the daylight hours tomorrow.

It was funny. I could tell she was debating her options ... pouring rain... weird guy with flashy thing.... pouring rain... weird guy with flashy thing....

-vern

Whew ! - Now you don't have to worry about ebola -

Catbirds are supposed to be good mimics, have you heard it's mew?

Good job!

Well, I think that this bird is being totally silent due to the nest. She doesn't make any sound at all. Not a peep.

This was why at first we doubted it was a catbird. Then it occurred to me it would probably not want to draw attention to itself.

That neighborhood has always had LOTS of catbirds. Should have thought of it before, I just imagined them a lot bigger. They seem so much smaller close up.

Now that I think about it, I did notice the two parents hanging around the house a lot before we discovered the nest. As a matter of fact I think they were deciding which planter to use.

The one on the corner of the porch is... uh... where I stand to take my smoke breaks. I think they decided to choose the one closer to the house.

Are you sure about the ebola infested critters? I couldn't find any references on the internet except some odd "experiments" in texas back in the 90's.

I know that the bubonic plague can be found in some squirrels or chipmunks in the south west.

-vern

My favorite smart bird clip:

BBC Worldwide: Attenborough - Lyre Bird




That will be weird when they figure out the garage door opener.

Ummmm...Vern. I was being a smart aleck. Carolina Wrens do not suck your blood, nor do they give you ebola.

Yet.

So they only have the bubonic plague then?



-vern

I like this quote from the link you gave us: "One male Gray Catbird was observed to be mated to two females in different territories. The territories were separated by another catbird territory, but the male defended both of them."

Good grief!

I saw that plot line on Law and Order or CSI. I think one wife found out and murdered the other family.

-vern