Moving an active birdhouse
Human contact with bird eggs or a baby bird will not cause the parents to abandon all hope for the family. The parents will be back. Most birds can’t even tell you were even there.
But that’s what adults tell kids, probably to protect the birds from little fingers.
Birds do not lay their eggs until they have put a lot of work into building a healthy nest. And they are unlikely to abandon him at a time when they need him most. But no one can argue that it’s probably best to leave them alone. Watching the hatchlings from a suitable distance will be fun for your grandchildren, but touching them is not recommended. They’re babies after all.
But there may come a time when you need to move a birdhouse. If it is not absolutely critical, the best option is to wait until the young have fledged. The breeding season is short and the time it takes for the eggs to hatch and the babies to be strong enough to fly is not that long if moving the birdhouse is not critical. Your best bet is to wait for the chicks to leave the nest.
But if there’s a reason it needs to be moved… maybe it’s in a place where your cat can get to the nest— then by all means move it.
First, make sure the receiving location is set up completely. If you start the process and have to interrupt it, you will stress the birds unnecessarily. Then plan to move the nest during daylight hours, as carefully as possible. You want to be able to keep the eggs intact if they haven’t hatched, or keep the little ones from jumping around. Keep the birdhouse upright throughout the move.
Don’t worry, if the parents raise a stink, they’ll get quite loud – they want you to leave them alone. As soon as you move the birdhouse, you should leave the area so that they feel secure in their new place.
Once it’s moved, you can watch from a safe distance, out of sight, if at all possible. If the parents were away when you moved it, they will usually find the new location quite easily and should start feeding the young or continue to sit on the eggs for a very short time. But if the parents seem to have abandoned the nest due to the move, it is advisable to contact someone in your area who has experience with the species you are observing.
If you can delay moving a nest until after the young have fledged, this is always the best option.
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