What to do if a nest of a bird of prey appears on the balcony? (12 photos)

Imagine you go away for a week on vacation to the country, on a hike or to the sea, come back and see a completely different flower sitting in your plant pot - a feathered one. Hissing, fluffing up and swearing at you, like, where did you come from, human? My fiancée and I just made a love nest, got some eggs, and suddenly you showed up!





First of all, get used to the fact that this will happen more and more often - not only to you, but also, perhaps, to your friends! The anthropogenic impact on the environment is growing, and some birds have sensibly decided that they need to get used to human presence and use our homes.



They would like to live in Manhattan and share secrets with Demi Moore...

Many birds of prey do not bother with nests. They arrange a kindergarten right on the rocks and in crevices. Human high-rise buildings are ideal for this. Therefore, the dynamics of "settling" with people, for example, small falcons has been observed for at least about 70 years.





As you can see, in the wild, birds of prey are also not too bothered about a place to live for their chicks.

For example, peregrine falcons happily settle in high-rise buildings. The most famous couple arranged a nest on the 30th floor of Moscow State University. The couple has been hatching chicks since 2017. But in the flowerbed outside the window, there is a high probability that a family of common kestrels can “grow up”. Among birds of prey, this species is the least afraid of humans.



Of course, we won't be able to light the stove for the next couple of months.

If you don't like pigeons, rejoice, the presence of a predator in your area will significantly thin out their flock! And it's not even that the falcon will catch and eat them, it's just a natural mechanism of prey species - you see a hunter, hit his slippers and get out of his line of sight! No one wants to be eaten.



Urban conditions for birds of prey are simply heavenly! After all, in cities, animals have almost lost the habit of being hunted. That's why urban birds become easy prey.

By the way, many airports around the world take advantage of this - they employ aviation ornithologists and birds of prey who scare away excess birds from the runways so that they don't get into the turbines of the plane. And this is the most effective method! Birds can develop immunity to other birds.



It wouldn't hurt to trust such a handsome fellow with a safe flight!

If you love silence, then with a falcon by your side you'll say goodbye to it! These birds are terribly talkative. First, the adults with their "hello-hello, how are you, wife?" while incubating eggs. And then a choir of babies, who will bawling on one record: "give me food, give me food, eat, eat, food!" But don't worry, you won't suffer alone. Soon the whole yard will be enjoying the songs! When the chicks become fledglings, they will increase the decibels of their cries and crawl around the entire perimeter of the area.



If you find such a baby, you don’t need to save it! This is a fledgling - an adolescent form of a bird. Fledglings deliberately leave the nest, but the parents do not stop watching them. They just do it at a time when people move away.

And your house will also become a little museum. Why? Because you can’t touch the exhibit on the balcony with your hands! Such rude human interference especially worries adult birds. Imagine yourself in the place of the birds: a giant something stretches its huge paws towards you and your offspring. Scared? They are scared too! Such a performance can make parents abandon the nest and the chicks. A wild bird of prey is not a cat or a dog. It has no idea that rhythmic touches on the head and body mean a sign of friendship. Birds have completely different expressions of affection.



The bird did not spread its wings out of great joy. It is trying to scare away an unknown something that has approached its nest.

You should not paw the silly chicks either - they cannot get used to a person as a positive character. A wild bird should be wary of a biped in adulthood. Otherwise, trouble: they will be too trusting. They will not run away from a bad person in time.



Amazing transformation from a dandelion into a respectable bird of prey!

Usually guests are greeted with bread and salt. So, you can't give your feathered guests any bread, salt or minced meat! No store-bought chickens, necks, hearts or other offal. And certainly no food from the table! Birds' bodies are not adapted to eating our food.



How NOT to do it. Even in small pieces. Not even from your hands.

For an adult bird, an improper dinner can end in indigestion. But human feeding can turn a chick into an invalid. The body of babies is incredibly demanding of calcium and nutrients. On store-bought hearts and breasts, the young predator will get rickets.



In this case, children are the flowers of life in the truest sense of the word!

Chicks get all the calcium they need from the prey their parents brought back from hunting. With all the skins, bones, and so on, and so forth, and so forth. Are you ready to buy dead rodents? Then you can treat the falcons. If you decide to bother and buy a couple of mice, you don’t need to feed the chicks yourself. Place the carcass near the nest, and the parents will figure out how to chop it up and put it into the children’s beaks.



Don't fall for the eternally hungry cries. Chicks are never full! Even if they were fed 10 minutes ago.

But most importantly: you will certainly make new acquaintances. What kind? Nature conservation, rehabilitation and volunteer! Living next to a person has a number of dangers that can lead to injury of adult birds and their children. Therefore, in case of anything, the number of an organization helping birds in difficult situations should always be at hand!