Too close to home

When we found the lost chick, we looked all over the garden for its nest, but without success.  However, when I went to the garage the next day, one of the Eastern Phoebe parents started making its "chip" call at me again.

 

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The bird flitted among several trees in the proximity of the garage and continued to call.  I knew that I must be close -- too close for the comfort of the parent.  Turning back towards the garage and looking up, I finally found the nest. 

An Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) nest on top of a column.

It was quite a relief to see that there were surviving chicks!

What I hadn't known before is that Eastern Phoebes commonly build their nests on buildings.  This nest site -- on a column underneath a deck -- should have been one of the first places that we checked.  Nevertheless, it wouldn't have helped to have found the nest the night before.  The nest was too high to reach without a ladder, and any attempt to return the lost chick could have endangered the rest of the nestlings.