Birds in the Basil/Chicago (1 Viewer)

[soundscape69]

First off, I wouldn't describe myself as a bird enthusiast at all but find myself in a situation.

I've concluded that a couple of birds (I believe there are two?) have taken up living in my window box on my rather small back deck (fourth and top floor) in Chicago two blocks directly south of Wrigley Field (birders are aware of the Chicago Cubs, right?). On two nights of watering, a bird flew out of the window box, and I was able to connect the dots.

One of the birds was coming back to the nest yesterday afternoon with some wire or something like it in his (or her?) mouth while I was on the deck and perched himself on the railing rather than going into the nest. We were probably no more than 3 feet from one another. We stared at each other for a few minutes (really, it was a while), and he looked annoyed that I was encroaching on his space. After those few minutes, he flew away. I should have taken a picture, as this was my only sighting in daylight, but was too mesmerized. I've never seen this type of bird before. It was around 7 inches long, light brownish, greyish, with two lines of blue feather running down either side of his tail. The tail was maybe 1/3 of his total length. I realize this is not a lot to go on, but it's all I've got. And I'm not really posting to get an identification.

My question: The birds are living in a long (around 7 feet) window box that's filled with basil. This has cut down on my pesto production this summer, which is fine. Really, it's fine. The birds are living towards one of the ends of the box, so I've just avoided any harvesting at that end. But here's the thing: The basil where they are living is dense enough and tall enough that you can't see the birds or the nest at all, which I guess if why they're living there. I brushed back the plants once very quickly and was able to see a tail amongst the plant stems. This was yesterday, when the one had flown away after our encounter, which is why I think there are two. However, I still need to water the window box because the basil needs to stay verdant. That's the whole point, no? If I stop watering, the plants will dry out exposing the nest. So, how do I water with the least disturbance to their home? I hope this question doesn't seem trivial considering the specialization of this forum.

And if you have any other advice, please bring it on.

For those unfamiliar (and have never heard of Michael Jordan?), Chicago is in the USA and experiences all four seasons. It can get very hot in summer and very cold in winter.

Thanks for any help you can provide. I must admit that I'm intrigued by this.

Matt

 

[KenM]

Soundscape hi,

I’m c4000 miles East of you and have been to N.America many times, I too found your bird description and location intriguing.

I’ve been through “ Sibley “ and am finding it difficult to get any sort of fix on your description….so either a better description of head/bill structure and ground colours would be most appreciated….and ideally an image, would go a long way to assist an ID.

Cheers

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

Don't know about the blue on the tail, but my experience is that Mourning Doves like to nest in planters.

 

[soundscape69]

Don't know about the blue on the tail, but my experience is that Mourning Doves like to nest in planters.

Thank you very much for your reply. Funny how a bit of information (in this case, a window box) can lead to what I think is the correct answer. Now that the sun has gone down a bit here, I've been able to get a picture. Unfortunately, I'm getting an error when trying to upload, but I'll try again at another time. Still trying to verify whether it's one or two birds.