Treaty with the phoebe

We made a treaty with Mrs. Phoebe. She can build her nest on the edge of our porch . . . as long as she stays away from the grill and kitchen. Here she is on a bottle tree with more nest building material. You have never seen such a hard working little bird.

Great shot, but if you turn your back, she'll be in the kitchen helping herself to whatever she can find.

Sheeesh. I know. Believe me, I know. For two weeks I destroyed her nests under our outdoor kitchen hoping she would go elsewhere. I hated it. When she finally settled into the hinterlands of our porch, I stopped fussing