Karen Still Needs Help! (1 Viewer)

Hello again,

I had originally posted this in the Hello Forum but now I'm posting this again & hopefully now it's in the right spot for everyone to get a chance to read & perhaps give me some valuable advice...

Hello!

I'm so glad I found this place - maybe you can help me!!

My name is Karen & I live in Toronto, Canada. Just last week I went out & bought myself a lovely hanging basket fushia plant & this week, it seems I have a couple new tenants moving in! They are a beautiful pair of house finches!

The problem is that I actually use my porch quite a bit - I work split shifts and usually go out to water the plants in the morning around 11am and then come home around 3pm and spend a couple hours reading outside then leave again around 5:30pm to return again at about 10pm when I just like to sit outside in the quiet for a little while. My other half is a smoker and he pops outside to smoke every hour or so until he goes to bed around 3am. I'm not sure what to do!

Will our schedules be a problem for the birds once they actually lay? It seems as though our sporadic presence on the porch so far hasn't slowed down their nest-building... When they are there and I go outside, they take off rather quickly but it hasn't deterred them so far. Yesterday I'd say they had about 1/3 of the nest done and when I got home tonight it looks as though they may need another day or two to finish. (although I understand the female actually does all the building while the male just sings & keeps her company).

I have concerns...
I am concerned about watering the plant too in order to keep it alive for cover & protection once eggs are laid. I don't really care about the plant in general - I'm actually quite willing to let it die if that's the best course of action... There is room for me to water it and not wet the nest at all & I have tied the basket down so that if it's super-windy it won't fall off. Will I be able to water it at all once eggs are laid? Will I be able to water it at all once chicks have hatched? Does the mother ever leave the nest once she lays? Does she ever leave the nest once they have hatched? Is there a constant parental presence? Would they abandon the chicks?

Will my constant in-and-out be too stressful on the mother and will she leave the nest for long periods during the all-important incubation period?

I have so many questions but I guess I 'll just start there...

Please give me some guidance - I've never had house finches as tenants before! I look forward to getting your advice and hope to be able to get a couple pictures of the nest while they're away looking for suitable building materials tomorrow.

Until then, thanks for helping me out!
Yours truly,
Karen & the Finches.

PS I've added a picture of the hanging basket planter so you can get a better idea of the fairly close proximity to pretty well everything there is on my balcony. If the finches do move in, it'll be tight quarters for a while won't it so you can see why I'd be concerned about my new tenants!

Karen

there were a few replies to your other thread today! Not sure about House Finches but birds can get quite used to a human presence.

Do you put out food and water for the birds?

Anyway keep us informed of how the little fellas get on.

Obviously, you would like to disturb them as infrequently as possible, and should curtail any unnecessary balcony activity during the relatively short nesting period (I would guess no more than three weeks or so?). Main point would be to move slowly around when you have to go out there-- open the door slowly, etc-- no sudden movements. They should get reasonably used to you. Second-hand smoke is no better for birds than it is for children, of course.

Here in the lower 48 House Finches seem to relish "hanging baskets on porches" as preferred nesting sights. They are rather "messy" house keepers and a lot of people would like them to nest elsewhere. I doubt if you can even persuade them to leave. They are pretty tenacious and do not seem to be disturbed by people "coming and going". Also, you can water your plants as long as you do not soak the nest.

Balcony Finches

Hello again & thanks so much for all your valuable advice!

Pete, I have not put food or water out for the house finches although I've thought about doing it many times. The problem is that I have pigeons come up to my porch as well as the finches. Pigeons are rather messy birds and they're becoming awfully brave these days and don't scare away as easily as they used to. If I could get "species specific" food, I would absolutely reconsider! Anyone know if there's a food for house finches that the pigeons won't eat?

I haven't been home all day - from dawn to 10pm so I haven't had a chance to see if Nina & Fitz have actually been around. Also, it was a rather grey and rainy day today - do birds still build nests in the rain? I realize that sounds like a pretty stupid question but believe me, there's plenty more where that one came from! For instance, where do birds sleep when they're not nesting? Will any old tree or shrub do or do they have "homes"?. See - I told you I had more dumb questions :egghead:

Anyway, I'll be out at work all day tomorrow too so won't get a chance to really be "on the lookout" for my new friends until Saturday. I wonder if they're still interested in that pretty balcony suite I have available or if they've decided to move on up to a more upscale location. That would make me so sad but I suppose it would be a lot less stressful on the nesting parents without having me and my unpredictable schedule under-foot (or under-wing in their case!) and so would in fact be a good thing.

I promise to keep you all informed and want to thank you all again for your knowledge, advice, and interest!

Karen & the Finches

Do house Finches feed off hanging feeders (I presume they would) that might be a way of solving the pigeon issue?

House Finches will feed on "hanging feeders".

Karen welcome to BF,and please do keep us informed re your "tenants".I'm pretty sure they will be very adaptable,they obviously think your hanging basket is safe,so you may have to be "tip toeing" around for a little while!!.

Hello again everyone!
It's been a year since my last post so I guess I should give you all an update on what happened! My finches abandoned the nest before it was finished. I'd guess it was about 2/3rds finished when they decided my location was not suitable. I was sad to see them go but in the end, I suppose it was for the best as I was totally unprepared for them. After a few days, when I was sure they weren't coming back, I took the nest out so they would not start building there again. That was the end of that!

Luckily for me, I have new tenants this year! There is another pair of house finches building a nest in the new hanging fushia plant I bought not 2 weeks ago. I placed in the same location I always do & they either seem to have forgotten they didn't like that spot last year or they're a different pair of birds. I think they've been building for about a week now & I notice from the date I first posted last year that they're a couple weeks ahead of schedule!

Both my husband & I have refused to curtail our use of the porch - we're being quite obstinate in that regard. We want them to know we're there & that every once in a while, they will have company if they insist on moving in.

I do have some specific questions for anyone in the know - forgive me if they seem like silly questions, I have no experience in this area at all!

1. Approximately how long does the average house finch take to build her nest?

2. Approximately how long after it's finished does she lay?

3. Once the eggs are laid, does the female sit on them all day or only at night?

4. Can I expect 1 bird to be at the nest all the time once eggs are laid?

5. If I put seed out for them, will that deter them from building so close to a food source? What I mean is will they sort of assume there will be other bird traffic & therefore the site (my hanging plant) is no longer suitable for nesting.

6. Should I tie the planter down so it doesn't swing radically when it's windy?

I really appreciate any answers I can get. There's no other place on the web that has the kind of information one can get here. I'm grateful to any of you who have advice and are willing to share it.

Thanks to all for you time,
Karen in Toronto, Canada.

It's like I blinked my eyes...and "poof" a whole year has gone by.
I do not think it's wise to offer food on your balcony while any bird is choosing to nest there (it just brings in more company, and some you may not want to have around the nest!)
I think it's good that you don't change your routine....if anything kick it up a notch...if they don't like the local, they will move on, otherwise they will work around you....I always get them nesting on my front porch in a wreath.
The female will build....usually it takes a few days...but they go at their own pace. Once the eggs are layed the female will remain on the nest unless you are right up to it, then she will fly off and then come back just as quick when she thinks the 'danger is gone'
Incubation is a couple weeks. During the incubation and brooding the female pops off the nest for very brief times, more to stretch her legs, and the male feeds her. If a food source is within easy distance, she will fly there and back quickly, too.
Both the male and female are great parents raising the chicks, which develop fast. A couple weeks later off they go, and you most likely won't even see it. All is well when you hear the male's constant song while the misses is sitting!
Hope that answers most of your questions....
Relax, if they stay, they make for easy (and yes, messy) tenants!
Oh, if the planter doesn't fall when the wind blows, then I wouldn't go thru the hassle of tieing it down.
shelley

Well, well!
I got up this morning & much to my surprise when I took the plant down to give it a little water while they were away gathering materials, there was a single egg inside!

Nick, my other half, gets up much earlier than I do & he said while he was outside, the female was in already in the nest. He stayed outside for about 1/2 an hour (going back inside a couple times) and she stayed put. The male came around a couple times, stayed for a few minutes and flew off again. Nick said the female was making all kinds of "twittering" noises. He said it wasn't her usual sounds. I wonder if she was actually laying during that 1/2 hour! Then she took off and she's flown back once with more nesting materials and now she's off again.

I took the opportunity to water & fertilize the plant and my husband ran out to buy a water bottle that has a long tube attached so at least we can water the plant & they should still have adequate leaf cover while nesting & fledging.

I must go outside & attach the tube before they come back - I'm guessing I have a VERY short window for action here! This is so COOL!

Thankyou for your help & advice Shelly! We all appreciate it!

Until the next update!
Cheers,
Karen.

Most cool
Enjoy the experience!
shelley

shelley810 said:

Most cool
Enjoy the experience!
shelley

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These pictures are for you Shelley!
I took them a couple days ago but now that there's an egg in the nest I don't dare approach it when I know she's there.
I got home after dark tonite & had a look from the window to find her sitting quietly & hardly visible!

This afternoon, I was lucky enough to peek into the nest to find she'd added some more stuff - it looked like soft strands of something but I don't know what. There was still only the 1 egg. Do you suppose she'll lay another or do they lay all at one time? I have to admit though that I'd be happy with just the one chick - I'm not looking forward to the mess I'm sure will come in a couple weeks!

Anyhow, enjoy the couple pictures of my new tenants & thanks again for your kindness & support.

Karen.

I love your pictures, and I like that view, as apparently so does the two finches!
I believe an egg a day (or longer if the weather is yukky/cold) mainly in the morning. All my house finch nest produced 4 eggs, 4 chicks. She won't start to incubate until they are all layed.
I'm not so sure that the mess will be so bad in the flower pot, you know, more contained.
I like the idea of a tube to water your plant. My neighbor has the little finches nesting in her front porch every year. She never catches on till there are babies! So careful watering on one side will be fine.
shelley

Shelley,
You are right - I got up this morning hoping for another egg & was happy to find a second one had been laid sometime this morning. It amazes me that she can fly around with all that extra weight!

I just got up and they were nowhere in sight so I had a quick little peek & watered all the surrounding plants while I had the chance. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

If I get a chance, I'll take a picture of the pot with the tube hanging out of it - it was hard for me to come up with this idea to keep the plant alive for them & I will admit it wasn't even my idea! It was perhaps one of the most disturbing questions I had about having a family of house finches move in. I really didn't want to let their cover die & now we've come up with a solution that can possibly help others who are in the same situation!

Cheers,
Karen.

What pretty little birds they are.

It was funny, I was reading your first post and was thinking, I am SURE this isn't just a similar story to one I read last year, I am sure I read these exact same words- LOL. Sure enough I did! What deja vu, lol. Lovely photographs you've got of them.

Hello again everyone!
Just a quick update on the house finches nesting on my balcony. There are 5 pretty little eggs in the nest! She layed the last one on Monday so from everything I've read, the first should be hatching around next weekend sometime!
The male has been coming by fairly infrequently with food for the female. I've put a feeder up in the back corner by the nest (hidden from view of other birds flying past) but they don't seem to have noticed it. It's been there for about a week. Is there anything I can do to encourage them to use their own private food-source?
Everything else is going along as usual, I've been able to water the plant fairly frequently as the female often takes a little break to stretch her wings. She really doesn't seem to mind me at all - as long as I don't move too quickly or approach the nest too quickly.

I'll keep you all updated and look forward to next weekend to give you the report on the first hatchlings!

Have a great day everyone & a great weekend full of awesome birding!
Cheers,
Karen in Toronto.

Great photos! What kind of food are you offering in the feeder? Have you tried live mealworms? Once the eggs hatch, they would be an excellent source of protein, moreso than seeds. Can't wait to hear the next progress report! :t:

Katy Penland said:

Great photos! What kind of food are you offering in the feeder? Have you tried live mealworms? Once the eggs hatch, they would be an excellent source of protein, moreso than seeds. Can't wait to hear the next progress report! :t:

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Hi Kathy,
I've got the little black seeds - I think they're called Niger (look a lot like mouse poop) & then I have another bag that has other assorted little mixed seeds for finches. I was told that the black stuff was the preferred food for house finches - was that information correct?

I don't know that I'd be comfortable with mealworms - are they squiggly and gross? I'm a little squeamish!

Do you think they'll ever see the feeder? It's a good size tube shaped one with a tray underneath & it can't be more than 3 feet away from their nest & directly beside.

I'll keep you updated!

Cheers,
K.

Niger seed, in my experience, is the preferred seed of Lesser and American Goldfinches, as well as Pine Siskins, not the larger and bigger-beaked House Finch. Not to say they wouldn't eat it if they needed to, but their preferred seed is Black-oil Sunflower seeds, whether in the hull or just the hearts/chips.

LOL, yes, mealworms are squiggly, but they're also tiny by "worm" standards. But don't forget that young birds need more digestible protein than what seeds provide, so even if you offered sunflower seeds, the adults probably wouldn't use it to feed the young. Not until they were closer to fledging, I believe.

Another thing to consider is that during breeding season, feeders are far less utilized because as the weather warms, more insects are available, which is what all breeding birds prefer especially for their young. I'm sure once the young have fledged, you'll see lots of activity at your feeder once again.