Bird nest in my garden ornament - any advice?

[flairyfairy]

I have a great tit nest in this ‘pod’ in my garden and I’m worried about disturbing the nest. It’s right next to the lawn that we have to mow at some point and I have a noisy two year old charging around!

I’m also about the chicks being able to fly out of the narrow neck when they are ready to fly the nest.

Does anyone have any advice on dos and donts?

Definitely not an expert, but maybe the lawn mowing could wait a little while until the nest isn't needed by the birds anymore?

As for the opening, I think if the mummy bird has made it in, it probably means it's ok (they tend to know what they're doing when they make their nests).

Another option could be move the whole "pod" to somewhere a bit more secluded?

don't move it, just let it be.

I wouldn’t move it, the parents might abandon the nest. You can move it when they fledge, before she starts nesting again. Are they taking food in yet ? If so the chicks grow and fledge quite quickly. I would not mow near it, and take care for fledgelings hidden in grass. Maybe put something near it to protect it from your toddler.
It is an odd place to choose, so close to the ground and so exposed. They are very vulnerable to cat attacks there !
Put a nest box up on a tree if you have one, and they may use it for their next nesting site.

How lovely

Don't touch or move it or the parents will abandon it and the last thing you want is a nest of decaying chicks in a small container.

I'd try to keep your toddler out of that corner and either leave the grass to grow in a corner or risk the mowing occasionally. The birds chose to nest in an area where they were obviously used to people coming being around.

We’ve mown the lawn at least twice I think since they nested - didn’t twig until I saw one flying in with a feather this week. The rest of the garden needs to be mown and it’s a fairly noisy job but we’ll try and avoid that area. It’s actually in the middle of the garden which is a little awkward.

Fingers crossed it all goes well. Thanks for the advice!

How lovely ! Yes avoid the mowing or being near if you can. Long grass isnt going to kill anyone :)
What age is your toddler? Could s/he understand that we have to wait and then we might get to see baby birds?
I think the way out will be fine. Birds are very precise about sizes.

Aww lovely! I'd just carry on business as normal tbh. I wouldn't touch the ornament but mowing shouldn't disturb them or put mum off. MIL had a robins nest in her shed last year (metal one and sliding door didn't close properly). We toddled in and out as usual for tools but didn't touch the nest- she laid 5 eggs, all hatched, lived, flew nest accordingly. It was quite wonderful actually! Mummy bird just carried on with her thing and clocked us going in/out (she hid in bush next to shed) and then went back in once the usurpers (us) had come back out 😁

Oh, this would stress me out. I feel responsible for any nesting birds in our garden and obsessively watch out for cats and magpies.

Oh that’s good to know @flyingmonkeys. I’ve been out weeding today and my toddler has been doing what toddlers do; one of the pair has been flying in and out when we’ve gone in so hopefully they are quite relaxed about sharing the garden. We have a regular visiting robin who watches me dig!

Few cats where I am, which is a relief, and I reckon the pod is magpie proof. Fingers crossed they make it out and away safely.

I think they may have hatched! There is a lot of activity and a parent constantly flying in and out 😁 Will keep an eye out for fledglings.

I saw a tit flying in and out of the car parking mechanism at work - hadnt thought it might be a nest in there!

Ah how wonderful! We had a robin nest in an old empty plastic plant pot stacked in the corner of our garden once. Unfortunately it got blown onto the ground one day when it was really windy and they abandoned the nest - there weren't any eggs in it so I don't know if they hadn't yet laid them or it they'd fallen and been eaten possibly. Your pod looks nice and sturdy though, just enjoy watching them (from a distance)!

Honestly just carry on as normal, including mowing the grass. The pair will have seen and heard you do it whilst selecting their nest site and are aware of how close you come and the noise etc and still chose that site and spent a few weeks making the nest and sitting on the eggs. They obviously don't care and you should carry on, but don't give the Pod thing any special attention, which could cause the birds to abandon the nest.

The one thing i wouldn't perhaps do at this stage is point out to your toddler that there is a nest in there and baby birds. Your curious child will want to go and peer in the hole every time they are outside and that would be disastrous for the nest.

How exciting !

Currently sitting in my garden listening to tiny cheeps and watching mum and dad run themselves ragged with room service. I may be a tiny bit over invested now!

Tiny cheeps ! The really stressful bit will be when they fledge, as they will all be on the ground, having nested so low.

Well, they seem to like it in there - still firmly ensconced and enjoying room service.

We have blue tits nesting in a robin box in our veg garden, ours are almost at fledging point. I feel like a proud grandma, watching mum and dad feed their brood and am watching out for fledging day!

Sorry bloodywhitecat have only just seen this. How lovely! Yes, definitely proud gma. Bit worried they are stuck though as they hatched a while ago now and def won’t be able to get out unless they can fly. I thought I read they can’t fly when they first leave the nest? Oh the stress! I think I’m going to put up a nest box and hope they choose there next time.

Well we haven’t seen anything of the parents for a few days and the nest is quiet so I suspect either they fledged and we didn’t see or ... I’m too much of a coward to investigate.

Do you have any bird feeders in your garden?

I'd go and investigate, just get an ear to it.

Dh left a nest box on table outside back door. One day i saw birds flying right past door every few minutes. Great tits hsd nested in it. They really didnt seem bothered by our coming and going. There were 8 babies.