While we were in California at the beginning of June some house finches decided to start a family in one of the begonia baskets that surround our screened porch. They thought this was a quiet place to raise a family, having no idea that a couple of old people and a dog live here!
We got back from California the evening of June 9th. On Sunday, June 14th I decided it was time to water the begonias. Fortunately I removed the planters from the hangers and set them down on the ground to make them easier to water. And look what I found!
 |
| June 14th |
I was so amazed, and excited too. I snapped a photo and then carefully placed the planter back on its hook without watering it, of course!
At first I climbed on a stepladder and took a picture of the nest every day.
 |
| June 15th 7:21 AM |
 |
| June 16th 7:28 AM |
 |
| June 17th 9:09 AM |
I also took a few pictures of the parents, when they happened to be around:
 |
| June 18th 9:08 AM - mama |
But I also was curious about what the finches nesting habits were so I started asking questions online. I found out that it would take them around 2 weeks to sit on the eggs before they hatch and around 2 weeks more before the babies would fledge. But I need to be more careful so that I didn’t scare mom and dad too much and cause them to abandon the nest! So I stopped taking pictures so often, and tried to be more discrete.
I tried taking the pictures from farther away but it didn’t work as well. I also stopped taking them early in the morning since that was when mom and dad fed the babies. They were usually out foraging during the day.
We had a couple of big storms during this period, with a lot of rain and wind. I worried about the babies; they were definitely getting wet! But AI said not to worry, mama would sit on the nest and her feathers were water repellent so she would keep the babies dry.
 |
| June 20th 1:20 PM - 1 week |
When I took a picture at a week and a half I could clearly see the pin feathers starting to emerge. They were no longer fuzzy little blobs, they were starting to look like baby birds.
It was especially interesting to watch the parents. I would sit out on our screened porch very quietly and watch them. They would be in our yard but not too close to the nest, calling out with all sorts of bird songs. I wish I knew what they were saying! Slowly they would come closer to the nest, eventually perching on the hanger above the basket. Then suddenly they would dive into the basket and feed the babies. Both mom and dad took turns feeding them.
 |
| June 25th 2:05 PM |
By two weeks they were sitting up and looking around with their beady little bird eyes. They were getting ready to fledge, But every morning I would look and there they still were.
 |
| June 27th 2:57 PM |
On June 29th they were still there, but they had moved to the edge of the nest and were really looking around. The parents were talking to them out in the yard, still feeding them but apparently coaching them on leaving the nest.
 |
| June 29th 6:05 PM |
The next morning they were gone. The nest was empty, the baby birds were nowhere to be found, and the parents were gone too. AI said they were somewhere nearby, hopping around in dense brush and bushes, and that the parents would still feed them for the next week. But I have no idea where they went, even if it was nearby. They were very well hidden!
AI said that finches will often reuse a nest, twice or even three time a season, but if they hadn’t come back to the nest in a couple of days they weren’t going to reuse it. They have not, so today I removed the nest, and finally gave the poor begonia some water!!
We have several bird houses out in the field. Chickadees made a nest in one but those birds have fledged and are gone. I think there were wrens in the other house. But there is still something in there; I saw their little eyes the other day when I peered inside. I need to clean them out but the birds are so busy; I haven’t had a definite break when no one is using a house!
This has been an amazing experience. I’ve learned a lot. But I hope they don’t build another nest so close to the house again. It was stressful for us, and stressful for the parents as well. I was very invested in those babies and I’m very relieved that they successfully launched out into the world. I wonder if I will see them at the feeder sometime.
