The Short, Sad Life of a Say’s Phoebe

In the spring of the first full year we lived in our house, I noticed a Say’s Phoebe repeated attempting to build a nest on a narrow ledge on our front porch. The nest kept falling off the ledge long before the bird finished building it. I ripped the roof and one wall off an old birdhouse and nailed it up under an overhang on the porch. Before the day was through, the phoebe was building a nest in it.

The phoebes returned the next year, but did not return in 2020. This year they got a late start because a pair of House Finches used the nest early in the spring. But when they moved out, the Say’s Phoebes came back. We new they had laid eggs when they began getting aggressive when we went outside.

On July 4, I climbed up and took this photo of four just-hatched babies in the nest. They couldn’t have been more than a day or two old at the time.

Every few days, I took an update photo.

July 9

July 13

July 16

July 19 at 8:00 am. Only two of the four babies were still in the nest.

July 19 at 1:00 pm. One of the remaining babies left the nest. It landed on the roof right outside my study window and spent eight or ten minutes observing the world.

July 19 at 10:10 pm. The phoebe was taking some practice flights around the yard. As I was working at my desk, I was startled by something large flashing right past the window at high speed. My fears were confirmed. A Cooper’s Hawk grabbed the phoebe and carried it to a nearby tree. As I watched, the hawk tore into the bird. For a while, I could tell the phoebe was still alive. It flapped a bit and turned its head toward the hawk and opened its mouth in what I presume was a threat posture. It did no good. Within minutes, all that was left was a small pile of feathers in the neighbor’s yard. One of the parents called repeatedly from the top of our tree, but that did no good either.

I understand nature and even like hawks. But this was just a little bit too close to home—geographically and emotionally.

One phoebe remained in the nest. It was gone when I went outside at 6:30 on July 20. Hopefully, it and the first two made it to the open space where there is cover.

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2 Responses to The Short, Sad Life of a Say’s Phoebe

  1. n8 says:

    We had a real tree for Christmas last year. Around the first of the year, I put tree in an old pot on the deck; planning to burn it later in the year when it’s nice enough to enjoy a fire outside. Sometime in April, a robin built a nest in the dead tree, and some time later, they had four eggs. About two days after the eggs hatched, Karen noticed a cat stalking around the tree in the wee hours one morning. Later that day, we noticed two baby robin carcasses on the ground. We’re assuming the other two were breakfast for the cat.

  2. Roger says:

    I could go on a long rant about people who allow their cats to wander outside and destroy wildlife and ruin neighbors’ ability to enjoy their own yards. I wouldn’t be allowed to let my dog run around in their yard killing the grass, leaving piles, and digging in the dirt. Why can they let their cat run around in my yard leaving piles, riling up my indoor cats, and killing the birds I spend a lot of money to attract? In addition, it’s not healthy for the cat and it has a serious impact on the environment. On the few occasions when I’ve tried to explain my view to outdoor cat owners, I’ve just been mocked or ignored. It’s infuriating.

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