I've got a birdie!

[ina]

Well, I love all kinds of wildlife - but why oh why did this bird have to select my hanging basket as a nisting place? What do I do? Every time I water the thing, the bird gets a fright and flies off. But if I don't water, the contents of the basket will soon dry out (it's nice and sheltered from the rain, by the front door), and the bird will be open to prying eyes and all sorts of weathers... Either way, doesn't seem like an ideal place to bring up your chicks!

Ina

[Millymollymandy]

They always choose the most unlikely places! Do you know what kind of bird it is? We had a blackbird nest on top of some branches in our semi open wood store that we wanted to clear out and chop up but had to wait quite a few weeks until the babies had fledged. Then there was the wren in the other wood shed next to the chicken shed - she often used the pop hole to fly in and out of - there is just chicken wire between the two sheds and she could fly through that!

As I'm a softie for wildlife I would rather sacrifice the plants for the sake of the bird - but I see your dilemma!

[ina]

Yes, I have now identified it - it's a wagtail, and there are 5 blueish eggs in the nest. She seems to be ok with my watering, has so far always returned to the nest; I just hope the periods of absence aren't too long for the eggs. I've warned all the neighbours to be quiet in case they come visiting...

Lets hope for the best. Last year I rescued a swallow baby and returned it to the nest, and the parents accepted that. Maybe the birds around here have got used to us.

Ina

[Millymollymandy]

Ahhh, I love wagtails. We had a pair who started building a nest on top of our chimney. I kept lighting fires to smoke them out but they kept returning. Luckily soon after we had a wood burning stove installed and the chimney top was blocked off. They've just come back to our garden with their young so I guess they found somewhere to nest. I did feel mean but hey we needed heat!