Yesterday, I trimmed back my Sago Palm to remove the leaves that were brown from the past winter's frost. Unfortunately, I clipped off fronds that wound up housing a bird's nest with 2 little eggs in it. I stopped and used the fronds to try to secure the nest into a wedge of where 2 of the sagos branched out -- moving it about 6-8 inches from where it was originally. I left a few fronds in place to provide some shade & protection for the nest.
All afternoon, a mocking bird barked (with the exact pitch as my yokies) at me, obviously incensed over my moving her babies and drastically altering her once safe palm tree. She would not go back to the Sago, instead barking at me from a nearby pine & the telephone lines. She kept up this barking (and I am not exaggerating how much she sounded like my dogs!) for hours. Then a crazy spring storm came through last night and I have not heard from her since. The nest is still there, eggs intact, but no momma
I feel terrible!
What is worse -- this same thing happened last year when I trimmed the Sagos back -- and the eggs did hatch, even though I had thought she had abandoned them. But..... the baby birds disappeared after a few days. I don't know if they were just too open and a predator got them, or what, but I think they were too little to fly. I had forgotten until I saw the nest again this year.
I don't know what to do as the palms have to get trimmed. Can't very well leave all the brown layers of fronds on them every year! But ths mocking bird (if it is the same one) is probably really hating me now. I don't know why she is chosing the Sagos, especially since they are so close to the ground and right on the patio by the pool. My dogs are all around the Sagos all the time! Why she doesn't choose the tall palms I have on the other side of the pool, I do not know. Poor momma mocking bird! Hope she sits on the eggs again!