Many years ago one of my favorite journalists, Ted Williams of Audubon (Not
related to the baseball version that I know of) wrote a wonderful essay
about what an honor it was "To be Chosen by Phoebes". Wish I had saved it.
Ted recounted his experiences with a pair that nested either at his home or
at a cabin, I forget which.
    We had a Phoebe nest right over the door of a cabin we used in Maine 11
years ago. It was amazingly tolerant of our comings and goings.
    But the most tolerant pair I have encountered is the one that nests
annually in a small shelter that is used to shoot from at a police firing
range. Don't ask me how I know this- the police have posted the range and
I'm not supposed to be sneaking into it to check on the latest nest. It
happens to be near a stream I fish every year. I discovered this phenomenon
years ago before they got fussy about people getting too close to the range.
How these birds can tolerate the noise and still raise a brood every year
amazes me.

Jerry Tarbell
Lover of Phoebes in Carroll County and parts of police firing ranges


> For the past three springs, an Eastern Phoebe has built a beautiful nest
in
> the bottom of my bank barn. About two weeks later, the newly arriving Barn
> Swallows immediately chase her out of "their barn". Although the phoebe
> probably finds another place to nest, I do feel very sorry for her.
>
> This year after being chased away from the front of the barn, the phoebe
> made another nest near the rear door. The Barn Swallows do not seem to
care
> for the rear entrance and the phoebe was left to nest in peace.
>
> Last week the chicks were barely visible as bits of fuzz over the top of
the
> nest. By the middle of this week, it seemed impossible that the all four
> chicks could still fit in the nest, let alone have room to grow bigger.
>
> This morning the phoebe chicks fledged. I arrived to find the last
fledgling
> perched on a bottom fence rail. Both parents were calling and encouraging
it
> fly to safety, but it would not budge. Finally after about 15 minutes, the
> fledgling launched itself nearly vertically into a big tree 25' off the
> ground: a truly impressive feat.
>
> I am so proud of my persistent phoebes!
>
> Felicia Lovelett
> Sykesville, MD
>