[If you are getting tired of my phoebes, there is only one more post to go, and then I will not show you birds for a week or two!].
By now the chicks are getting bigger, and true feathers are starting to come in. It looks as though all five are still there.
Although the phoebes above the hanging basket tolerate my photography from the kitchen window, and the chicks are unable to escape my lens even if I am nearby, the adults don’t come to the nest if I am out in the open. The nest is under a little roof, so it can’t be seen from a distance, I have to get close. Copying the BBC Wildlife team, who always tell you something about how they got the footage, I thought I’d show you my amateur solution
I remembered a birder once telling me that a car made an excellent improvised hide. So I parked my truck near the nest, rolled down the window, and sat quietly inside. For about ten minutes they were wary, but then they settled, and all the shots that show an adult on the nest were taken by this subterfuge. Here is the setup:
She (or maybe he) brings in a choice morsel, like this grub:
or this dragonfly:
And then delivers it to her chick:
Deliveries are fast, she rarely hangs around. This one was a big moth:
and it is delivered by air (the moth is blown flat against his beak by the speed of takeoff):
Deliveroo and Grubhub, you’ve met your match.
Eyes on the Wild 
Another series of awesome photos! What a varied diet! Chicks are growing so fast.
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So precious they are.
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I wonder how a parent remembers which chick they’ve fed…with all those open beaks.
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You’ve become an expert! Wonderful photos.
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Don’t stop the posts, I’m involved with this family! Who of the kids gets the nest next year, how do they decide??? >
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I stumbled upon your post and I enjoyed reading it. I was trying to find out what kind of birds were/are living above my front door light using the lens app. when I found your article. Thank you for helping me.
Year before last year one of the new birds kept coming back to the nest after the siblings left. Then throughout the year it returned. The winter was extremely cold and freezing and the bird returned to the nest to wait for warmer temperatures. This is June and the nest is empty and I plan to remove the nest. Do you think they will return? If they were not dropping their poop at mt front door and driveway, I wouldn’t mind.
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I am not a bird expert, so what follows is just my own experience. Phoebes have nested in the same place at my
house in Maine for over 40 years. They reuse the same nest year after year, building a new one on top of the old if necessary. My records show eggs as early as May 23, and young still on the nest as late as July 24th. You do not say where you live, so in your area they could start earlier or stay later. And yes, they poop over the door. Removing the nest may or may not discourage them. One year the old nest fell off, and the next year they came back anyway and just built a new one. Of course, if you would LIKE them to return, I’d suggest leaving the existing nest alone. Good luck.
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