North American Birds - Flycatcher

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On 1 May 2014, a month later than usual, my first SAPH was on roof of neighbor's home. The next day s/he was on their usual perch, the Garnet St sign, near my back patio where the nesting box is. On 4 May s/he was going into the usual nest box, but I was still seeing only one bird. On 5 May, she was taking nesting material into the box. I put out some 4" strips of brown angora wool yarn that she snatched up from the lawn and carried to the box. I was still seeing only one bird. On 13 May, it snowed 12 inches and I saw a pair of SAPH going into the box. On 14 May, the female was sitting on the taller-than-usual nest all the time except for brief periods in my locust and hawthorn trees to preen and to feed. The male was guarding from the locust tree or his favorite perch on the Garnet St sign.

I forgot to note when the pair began carrying tiny spiders and insects to the nest box to feed nestlings. On 13 June I photographed the box as in previous years by using a 2-step stool on the sidewalk and using my 400 mm lens. There appeared to be 3 nestlings. On 14 June, I heard the sound of a jay and saw the phoebe parents along with a pair of House Finch parents frantically chasing a Western Scrub-Jay from the top of my roof. I assisted and the jay left.

On 19 June, the nestlings were perching on the box side as they have done every year at about this point. I then realized that there were really four nestlings! I was eating lunch on my patio on the 19th when one of the nestlings flew directly down to the chair at the other end of the table! It watched me photograph it! Later that day, if flew straight up to the box to spend the night. They are very strong flyers. This has happened every year. They usually spend 2 or 3 nights back in the box before they leave my yard.  About 9 a.m. on 20 June, three of the chicks were huddled on my cement patio in the shade of the dogwoods. The 4th was still on the edge of the box. It soon flew down as well. They have spent the rest of the day so far in the dense hawthorn tree next to my patio being fed by the parents. They all finally departed the morning of the 22nd. As I have noted every year, these SAPH chicks are super quiet birds unlike some species like robin chicks. This is the fourth year they have nested here.

On 3 April 2013, I saw a FOY Say's Phoebe on the fence line along the prairie dog colony (in N Table Mt OS), which is a block from my home north of Golden. For the next week, the pair were visiting the nesting box under my eaves that they used last year. We had heavy snows (~30") the last two weeks of April and into early May and they disappeared from the area.

Finally on 23 May the pair returned and began building their nest in the box. On 8 June I saw the female on the nest. The male guarded the area from a hawthorn 12' from the house. On 16 June the male and female began taking tiny insects to the nest to feed nestlings. I could see 3 nestling bills on 23 June. Parents brought increasingly large insect prey to feed to chicks.

On July 5 (~Day 18 posthatch), all three nestlings were standing on the rim of the box exercising their wings. Two chicks flew to the patio chairs below the box on the 6th, the other chick stayed in the box. The two fledged chicks flew back up to spend the night in the box, as they do every year. On the 7th, all three spent the day on the patio furniture being fed by parents and returned to the box at night. On the 8th, they all left the patio area in the afternoon. This nesting process was about a month later than last year.

On 31 March 2012, I saw my FOY Say's Phoebe hawking insects from fence along prairie dog colony (in N Table Mt OS) adjacent to our homes and one block from my home. On 7 April I was eating lunch on my patio and a phoebe called from the garage roof above my head and landed on a nest box under my back porch roof and then flew off. I again observed phoebes hunting insects in the prairie dog colony on 9 and 12 April (in company with two nearby crows on the 9th). On 13 April I again was eating lunch on patio and a pair were in the old nest box I had moved to under my patio eaves. I heard a trill, one flew to a tree, and the other one followed. Again on 14 April, a phoebe whistled from my hawthorn by the patio and flew into the same nest box under the eaves they seemed to have decided upon.

I was gone from 25 April to 10 May. When I returned, I observed and photographed the presumed female sitting on eggs on 13 May, so she must have built the nest and laid eggs while I was away. The box is too high for my ladder so I can't count the eggs or chicks. On 31 May, I stood on a 3-step ladder on the sidewalk 20 feet from the box and observed at least 2 nestlings and photographed one that appeared to be about 9 days post hatch. I will continue to photograph from the sidewalk to determine the number of chicks.

The nesting process began much earlier than in 2011 (see diary below). On 3 June, I photographed the same 2 nestlings. On 6 June, both nestlings were seen forward in box out of nest and exercising wings. On 7 June, both chicks were standing on sides of box. Female, after feeding chicks on the box sides, went into the box and seemed to be "cleaning/rearranging" the old nest. Also, both of pair were flying to last years box, which I installed this winter under the back porch roof where there is more cover/food. The male joined the female and on 7 June sang 3-4 trills and then both flew off. Looking for a 2nd nest site? The two chicks fledged morning of 8 June. Flying 100 yds but staying close to patio; parents feeding. I have not seen the fledglings on the patio since 12 June.

Second Brood, 2012

The female refurbished the nest and as of 21 June was seen sitting on it in the evenings when it is cooler. The eggs were undoubtedly laid before that date and daytime heat is incubating them. Weather was >100 degrees for five days, 22-26 June 2012. She is not sitting on nest during heat, only at night. The male is still very easy to distinguish from the female by the damaged feathers on his right flank. He also always raises his "crest" and is more protective of the area than the female who is very mellow. Either of them will call when they come with an insect to feed the young and I am on the patio. Then they wait for me to enter the back door; they do not call when I am not there.

On 28 June, the parents began to bring small insects to the nestbox. By 13 July I saw five nestlings in the second brood. The first nestling fledged to the patio the morning of 18 July and two more in the afternoon. Two were left in the nest. Amazingly, the three nestlings flew back up to the nest for the night. On 19 July all five left the nest in the morning, hung out in the shade on the patio, and are being fed by parents. They all left my yard on the 20th.  At 7 p.m. on 22 July I was watering flowers and both parents returned together and called from my roof. Looking for missing kids? I have not seen any of them since then.

So, seven healthy fledglings raised in two broods during this seas                                                                                                      on. I hope some of them survive.

On 7 April 2011, a Say's Phoebe pair began checking two nesting boxes on my house and on 7 May 2011 began building a nest in a small box on my front porch that faces west. She laid the first egg on 23 May and one the next day. I left CO on 25 May for a week. Four chicks hatched on 12 June 2011. On Day 15 after hatching, both parents tried to "encourage" the chicks to leave the nest. One chick fledged on Day 16 and I saw it being fed by a parent ~200 yards away. The last three chicks fledged on Day 17 after hatching and continued to fly around my yard for the rest of the day being fed by parents. The chicks are quite remarkable flyers compared to some newly fledged bird species.