Sad day today

[photopam]

Today I found our barn swallow baby birds dead out side our front door. One of them was hanging from the nest. We were waiting for the birds to be big enough to fly away on their own before we torn down the nest, but it looks like something got to them first. No idea what it could have been. They lived up under our front porch on a stone that sticks out just enough for them to make a nest. Their were three of them and they are all dead now.

This is the second year we've had them. No problems last year, everyone lived to fly away.

[JohnT]

Leave the nest, and the adults might try another brood.

[photopam]

I really don't want them to, since it is my front door...
Just wish those little birdies hadn't died...

I did see one of the adults come fly into the nest and fly away again. They haven't been around much today.

[JohnT]

If they sense that the babies died from predation, they might not use the site again anyway.

Sorry to hear they didn't make it. I hated it when I lost some Purple Martins several years ago.

[lscottpht]

I know how you feel. I had a nest of baby cardinals in the fake tree on my back porch. There were four of them. We watched them get bigger every day. Then, one morning I woke up and looked in the nest. They were all gone. It was so sad. The mom and dad were taking such good care of them. I think I felt sick for a week, at least. I had finally forgotten about it, then my friend asked me yesterday if I had removed the nest. Of course, that made me think about it all over again. I think an owl got to them b/c my daughter's bf was sitting on the edge of my porch one night, and an owl flew down and landed right next to him, scaring him half to death. In any case, it was just the saddest thing. They were so cute and probably just a few days from being able to start trying to fly.

[studiocygnet]

Originally Posted by lscottpht

I think an owl got to them.

Either that or those d@mmmmm raccoons. They get my birds, my peaches, my pears, arghh.

[kimberley]

I had a dove nest right outside my window and she had been sitting there this whole time looked yesterday and shes gone I was so hoping for little babie birdies...:(

[sparkyjr]

yeah, they'll typically do two broods a year. We have a family of them as well. Pretty birds, but they poop everywhere!!

[trac76002]

I know how you feel, I had a nest of bluebirds and came home last week to find that something had gotten to the eggs, pecked a hole in them and threw them on the ground.

I was soooo mad!

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by trac76002

I know how you feel, I had a nest of bluebirds and came home last week to find that something had gotten to the eggs, pecked a hole in them and threw them on the ground.

I was soooo mad!

Most likely a House Sparrow or wren. They will do that, then use the box for their own nesting.