Question of the Week
I have a bird nesting near my house—how can I help it succeed?
In general, the best thing you can do for a bird nesting near a human dwelling is to try to minimize the disturbance—stay at a respectful distance, minimize foot traffic, door openings/closings etc. The nesting cycle for most songbirds, robins included, is around 4 weeks from egg laying to chicks leaving the nest (two weeks of incubation, two weeks of nestlings).
Some people choose to put up feeders or leave mealworms around to try to provide an additional food source, but this is not necessary for the nest to be successful.
If you are enjoying observing a nearby nest, and would like to go a step further and collect data for science about the nesting behavior, please consider joining NestWatch. You can find more answers about nests and baby birds on our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Past Questions of the Week
Q. It sounds like there are birds stuck in my chimney. What should I do?
Q. I found a baby bird on the ground. What should I do? I don't want it to die.
Q. Why is a bird constantly attacking my window?
Q. What predators are threats to Great Blue Herons?
Q. Do cardinals get brighter in winter?
Q. Why do some birds stand on one foot?
Q. What do small birds do in a storm?
Q. There's a hummingbird at my feeder in the dead of winter? Will he be okay?
Q. How do eagles survive when all the lakes are frozen?
Q. How can we get rid of a starling roost near our house?
Q. Do all birds have gizzards?
Q. Do birds store food for the winter?
Q. Do hummingbirds migrate in flocks?
Q. Can you see migrating birds on weather maps?
Q. How do birds prepare for migration?
Q. Should I stop feeding hummingbirds in the fall so that they wil migrate?
Q. Lately I haven't been hearing birds singing in the morning. What happened?
Q. Do birds recognize their parents after they have grown up?
Q. Why do birds leave the nest before they can fly?
Q. Do parent and baby birds recognize each other's songs and calls?
Q. I found a baby bird on the ground. What should I do? I don't want it to die.
Q. If I handle a baby bird, won't its parents pick up my scent and abandon it?
Q. A bird is singing all night long. How can I get it to be quiet?
Q. A bird has left its nest. Should I raise the eggs myself?
Q. Why do birds have such varied and elaborate courtship rituals?
Q. How can I get rid of a hawk at my feeder?
Q. Which birds are the best mimics?
Q. Why don't birds get cold feet?
Q. Where can I find a list of all the birds in the world?
Q. Do hummingbirds migrate in flocks?
Q. I keep finding dead birds under my picture windows! What should I do?
Q. Should I stop feeding hummingbirds in the fall so that they will migrate?
Q. I've been hearing bird songs in the morning since spring, but suddenly it's quiet! Why?
Q. My goldfinches look patchy and weird! Are they sick?
Q. How do hurricanes affect migrating birds?
Q. What should I do if I find a sick bird?
Q. I saw a Chipping Sparrow feeding a Catbird! What's going on?
Q. I've heard birds can eat their own body weight in a day! Is that true?
Q. There is a larger egg with speckles in a nest with four other smaller white eggs. What's going on?
Q. What bird species is the most beneficial to man?
Q. Could the bird that is nesting here be the same one as last year?
Q. I accidentally scared some young birds into leaving their nest! What should I do?
Q. Does rice cause birds stomachs to explode?
Q. Why do birds leave the nest before they can fly?
Q. A junco keeps attacking my windows! What's going on?
Q. What is the difference between a bill and a beak?
Q. A bird is singing all night long outside. What is it, and how can I get it to be quiet? —David
Q. I found a baby bird on the ground. What should I do? I don't want it to die.
Q. A mother bird has abandoned her nest! Should I try to raise the eggs myself?
Q. Why is a bird constantly attacking my window?
Q. There's a strange partly white bird in my yard. What is it?
Q. Why are cardinals brighter in winter?
Q. Why do some birds stand on one foot?
Q. What should I do with my old binoculars?
Q. How do I ID this strange bird in my yard?
Q. There are bluebirds in my yard, even though I live outside their winter range! Is something unusual going on? —Jodi
Q. How can I get rid of all the starlings around my house?
Q. Why are some birds found out of their normal range more than others?
Q. How can I attract a Pileated Woodpecker to my feeder? —Maggie
Q. I have fewer birds this winter! Could the oil spill in the Gulf have affected birds in Illinois? —George
Q. Should we set out nesting material in winter?
Q. A woodpecker is pecking holes in my house! What should I do?
Q. Do all birds have gizzards?
Q. I've heard you can tell if birds are migrating on a particular day by looking at a weather map! How does that work?
Q. I want to make my own birdseed mix. What should I know?
Q. Can anyone help the Whip-poor-wills?
Q. How do we keep ants out of our hummingbird feeder?
Q. Do hawks flock together?
Q. Can you help me identify these dark, long-necked birds?
Q. What are these birds nesting in my chimney? —Patti
Q. Is West Nile virus killing off my Blue Jays? —Rosemarie
Q. Why are loons chasing each other across my lake? —Judy
Q. My babies have hatched and flown. Should I clean out the nests for future use? —Steve
Q. Please could you tell me if pelicans have teeth? —Ewan
Q. This afternoon I opened my door and a beautiful white and gray dove walked into my garage. It went to an empty hutch so I gave it fresh water and food. It was very tame. One leg has a plain green band and the other leg has a red band with numbers on it. What should I do?
Q. I've just upgraded my optics. What should I do with my old binoculars?
Q. Can you give me a list of the birds most frequently seen, or known to reside, in the Gulf of Mexico? I cannot seem to find a list anywhere on the Internet. If the list is too extensive, could you tell me which birds in the Gulf area are endangered or threatened (especially by the BP oil spill)? —Lynn
Q. I recently moved to the top (28th) floor in a high-rise condo building close to the lakefront in Chicago. I was an active bird watcher and had many feeders in my backyard in the suburbs. Do you have any suggestions for feeding/feeders or will I be wasting my time? I have a 13 x 17 foot terrace with glass doors. I would like to put out a feeder. —Michael
Q. I live in Southern California and recently have noticed small compacted bundles of what appears to be fur and small bones scattered under a large pine tree in my yard. Someone said it is from owls regurgitating what they can't digest. Is this true?
Q. While trying to take a picture of a mother Blue Jay sitting on her eggs, I unintentionally spooked her. She flew away and has not returned to her nest. Will she ever return & what if she doesn't what will happen to her eggs? Should I bring them in & try to hatch them myself?
Q. Do birds play?
Q. I found a baby bird on the ground. What should I do? I don't want it to die.
Q. My husband bought me a really great pair of binoculars, but whenever I try to look through them, everything sort of blacks out and I can’t see a thing. How can I adjust them?
Q. A bird keeps flying into my window, on purpose! Why is it doing this? I'm afraid it will hurt itself. What should I do?
Q. I’m interested in doing more than just looking at my backyard birds, but isn’t birding an expensive hobby, with state-of-the-art equipment and a lot of travel?
Q. Why don't birds get cold feet?
Q. How can Bald Eagles survive in northern areas after all the lakes have frozen?
Q. Why do birds have such elaborate and varied courtship rituals?
Q. I live in the woods in northern Minnesota, and I often wake up to a Winter Wren singing near my cabin. How does such a tiny bird produce so many sounds so quickly?
Q. We live in South Philadelphia, in a row home, so I have been a witness to several unusual mimicries by starlings. They imitate cats, and my boyfriend's motorcycle alarm. I was wondering if this is normal behavior for a starling? The cat call in particular is so realistic that I spent 10 minutes looking for the "cat" before I realized that it was a bird. (from Alitzah)
Q. There's a strange partly white bird in my yard. It looks like a chickadee except for some completely white feathers on its head and wing. What is it?
Q. How do you pronounce a scientific name? What's the proper pronunciation for this bird species, Tympanuchus phasianellus?
Q. How much does a bird eat? (from Bill)
Q. Have I been seeing the same Great Blue Heron for 28 years? (from Carolyn)
Q. I've seen a crow with tags on its wings. What is it? (from David)
Q. Are turkeys bred and eaten in Europe? (from Kat)
Q. Do birds store food for the winter? (from Tim)
Q. Who is the "Lincoln" that the Lincoln's Sparrow is named for? (from Mary)
Q. How can I keep birds from hitting my windows? Hawk decals don't seem to work. (from Buzz)
Q. Why are Blue Jays far more noisy in fall than earlier in the summer? (from Linda)
Q. There's a flock of 25 birds that look like female cardinals in my tree. What could they be? (from Aubrey)
Q. Is it possible I've heard a whole flock of swans migrating overhead late at night? (from Carol)
Q. Is there a simple way to get rid of or eradicate starlings? (from William)
Q. Do bird songs have frequencies higher than humans can hear?
Q. I've heard you can tell if birds are migrating on a particular day by looking at a weather map! How does that work?
Q. Do vultures find dead animals by smell or by tracking predators or scavengers on the ground?
Q. How do birds prepare for long migrations?
Q. There are so many field guides to choose from! How do I pick one?
Q. Why can't penguins fly? (from Jean)
Q. I live in a high-rise apartment with a tiny balcony. Is there any way I can attract birds all the way up on the 17th floor?
Q. We're watching some Canada Geese at work and starting to wonder if these babies will recognize their parents after they're grown up?
Q. Do birds sleep, and how? (from Jean)
Q. We have an Aunt that insists the only name is "Canada Goose." We believe we can also say "Canadian Goose." Are we wrong? (from Sandy)
Q. Do birds come to feeders because they see the seed or can they smell it? (from Charlotte)
Q. Is there any way for me to protect my Sparrow's bird house from an aggressive Blue Jay? (from Bernadette)
Q. There is a larger egg with speckles in a nest with four other smaller white eggs. What birds in N New Jersey tend to 'borrow' others' nests for their eggs? (from Debbie)
Q. We have baby ducks in our fountain at work that are being picked off by crows. Is there any way to save them? (from Sandi)
Q. What makes Indigo Buntings look new?