Nebraska Ornithologists' Union
Twenty-One Years of Say's Phoebes
Copyright 1980, Nebraska Ornithologists' Union. Used by permission.
Abstract
TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF SAY'S PHOEBES
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Lindeken live 10.5 miles northeast of Chadron, Nebraska, in a home with a big picture window over the kitchen sink, a window that faces the Sheridan Gates, a formation which is in Sheridan County across the Dawes County line. Outside the window is a small platform on which Say's Phoebes have nested for many years.
The first year the Lindekens were aware of Say's Phoebes was in 1958 when a pair nested in the garage, a building which is attached to the house. The birds were "messy" but they were allowed to remain through the summer. Before the next year Mr. Lindeken built a small platform at the angle where the garage and house meet. It is about 10 inches below a sort of overhang of the roof and is screwed to the north and east sidewalls. It is well protected. The platform itself is made of a 3-ply board about 7.5 x 7.5 inches with the outer corner mitered. The board is edged with a molding making a border which helps hold the nest together.
In 1959 a pair of Say's Phoebes wanted to nest in the garage. After being chased out several times, they built on the little platform. Since that year, Say's Phoebes have nested there every year except one, in 1974 or 1975, when only a single bird came. Mrs. Lindeken guessed that it was a male, and it remained in the area all summer. The next year when a pair come, it looked as though one was trying to "convince" the other of the desirability of the platform nesting site according to Mrs. Lindeken. They nested about a week late. There was only one nesting that year.
Several years, more than one pair of phoebes have arrived and there is some confusion until one pair prevails.
Arrival dates are usually between 9 and 12 April with the earliest date being 22 March. Departure dates are around 22 September. Their first and last appearances are on the roof of either the garage or house.