On Thursday, May 23, 2013 7:54:17 PM UTC-4, Janet Millenson wrote:
> Maybe you folks can help.
> Friends asked me if I could figure out what kind of bird is
> nesting atop their porch light, based on this photo of its nest
> with eggs: http://instagram.com/p/ZiiiNBHItY/# . They've never
> gotten a good look at the nest's adult occupant, because it "takes
> off in an explosion" whenever they open the door. The eggs are
> approximately an inch long.
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> If anyone can identify what species laid these eggs, please let me
> know. Off-list is okay. Full disclosure: the location is a wee bit
> extralimital, in the panhandle of West Virginia.
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> Thanks in advance.
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> Janet
> Millenson
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> Potomac, MD (Montgomery County)
>
> <ja......>
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> "Look at the birds!" -- Pascal the parrot
Janet, The eggs and nest do seem to be a fit for Eastern Phoebe. Peterson's A Field Guide to Bird's Nests says they lay 3-6 eggs, commonly 5, white, except 1 or 2 eggs sparsely spotted. Incubation by female alone, 15-16 days. Usually 2 broods.
I have seen phoebe nests in the exact situation, right on the front porch light of a friends house. And they came back more than one year to the same nest.
Their nests are really a thing of beauty.
Rick Sussman
Woodbine,MD
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