Eastern Phoebe at Witter Wildlife Refuge Photo by James Orr

We occasionally have guests at the Wildlife Refuge that do not require our care and attention.  A pair of Eastern Phoebe’s are two such guests, nesting outside my office window every year in a nest built on the side of the house.

The Phoebe’s  name matches its song, “Fee Bee” or in some cases more of a stuttered “Fee bbBee”.  They earned a certain amount of notoriety as the first species of bird banded in North America.  Americas first bird bander was John James Audubon who attached silver thread to several Phoebe nestlings around 1840.  The following year he located two of the silver thread clad birds with their own nests in the same area.  This provided evidence to his therory that birds returned to their hatch area to breed.  Since then banding has become an instrumental part of bird studies tracking migration, life spans, and breeding habits.

Easter Phoebes are one of the first birds to arrive in the Spring.  They sculpt a wall mounted nests of clay, grass, moss, and hair.  Their natural nest site would likely be a shelf on a rocky cliff with overhead protection. Like many wild animals Phoebes have taken advantage of man’s handy work now building nests under bridges and house eaves.

Phoebes are clasified as flycatchers although bees and wasps make up much of their diet.  Unlike most other flycatchers they will supplement their insect diet with seeds and berries accounting for as much as 10% of their diet.

Their well built nest are a favorite choice for Cowbirds who lay their eggs in other birds nests leaving the unsuspecting hosts to feed and raise their young.  You’d think that might stain relations with the male wondering why one or more of his offspring look totally different than him but not so in the bird world.  Phoebes are also surprisingly tame while in the nest which might explain how and why the first birds banded by Audubon were Phoebes.

My Phoebes have come back to the same nest outside my window every year for almost five years.  They remodel every year making it bigger and grander kind of like the Graceland Mansion of the bird world.

BIRD INTERIOR  EXTERIOR DECORATOR
Speaking of Graceland, if you would like to help your neighborhood birds add a little style to their nests provide them assortment of 3” to 4” color thread, yarn, string, tinsel, ribbon and hair to select building materials from.  If you are like me and have little hair to spare they will gladly accept pet or horse hair. It is fun to see what birds select to decorate and build their nest out of.  Tie a small bundle of  these goodies together loosely with a string or ribbon and hang it from a branch.  It needs to be loose enough they can pull out what they want.  Sometimes even squirrels and raccoons will get in on the shopping spree helping themselves to shiny decorations.

DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount  it is greatly appreciated.  Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.

See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife