When I got home from work yesterday afternoon, I was surprised to see a phoebe chick on my walkway, and even more surprised to see two chicks on my steps, about six feet away from the first chick.  Phoebes nest on the overhang above the door to my house and I knew there were chicks in the nest, but I don't know what caused the chicks to be on the ground.  Anyway, I gathered the chicks into a bucket, got out my stepladder, put the chicks back into the nest and put my stepladder away, only to find a fourth chick a little later, in the lawn about fifteen feet away from where the others had been.  I got out my stepladder, added the fourth chick to the nest, put the stepladder away and went about planting some peppermint.  When I went to go back into the house, I noticed one of the chicks on the steps.  Got out the stepladder *again* and put the chick back into the nest *again*--this time I didn't put the stepladder away ;-).

Lynn
Plainfield, NH

P.S.  Mama phoebe immediately started catching juicy bugs to feed to the very hungry chicks once they were back in the nest.  As far as I know, all of the chicks were in the nest this morning.  Wonder what I'll find when I get home from work today?!


      

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