Rewilding My Lot

In March 2025, a pair of Barn Swallows built a nest high in our front porch. Four eggs were laid and the parents were taking good care of them. Not long afterwards, something attacked the nest and stole the eggs, and the swallows abandoned the nest. That story is told here.

What was left of the nest after that incident was the outer mud bowl with a small chunk knocked out of the front edge. (The soft feather lining fell out of the nest.) I left the nest in place.

Then, in June 2025, a pair of House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) took up residence in the abandoned nest. House Finches are commonly seen here, most often eating from Sunflowers or Mealy Blue Sage, or using the pond to drink or bathe.

After some slight remodeling by adding a new soft lining (dog hair?), five eggs were laid in the nest. They would have been laid a day apart, but I don’t know when that was. The incubation period is 13-14 days, and I expect that changed behavior of the mother and/or sound from chicks will tell me when hatching has occurred.

I have a mirror on a stick that I can use to take a quick look — if I want a photo I have to climb a ladder, so I will limit those times to keep disruption to a minimum.