I witnessed murders on Londonderry last night on my front porch. Several weeks ago two of Eastern Phoebe which are plump songbirds with a medium-length tail decided to build a next on my front porch on top of a column They appear large-headed for a bird of its size. The head often appears flat on top, but phoebes sometimes raise the feathers up into a peak. Like most small flycatchers, they have short, thin bills used for catching insects.
I had never seen this type of bird before, so I looked them up on the internet. The birtds both worked on a rather cool nest made mostly of soft materials and even moss. It was a rather oblong shaped next.
Then the female bird sat on the nest for several days / weeks. Then I finally saw three little beaks sticking up. I have watched them several times a day and enjoyed seeing both parents feeding and tending to them.
The last few days they had made quiet a mess with droppings so I would turn on the hose and spray the area off. The adult birds watched but didn't seem to mind.
At first the parents were a bit afraid of me when I would open the door. The last week or so they didn't seem to mind and would fly up and flutter near me in a non threatening way. The adult birds sat on the porch and railings pretty much all the time except when they were going for food. Always around though and would chirp and make noise. If I was inside the house looking through the glass of the upper windows they would spot me and flutter outside the storm dorm.
At night I would flip on porch light and see the mother sitting on the side of the nest. Last night I turned on the light around 10 PM for a last look. No mother bird. I opened the wooden front door and saw a rather large black snake about 4 feet or longer head sticking up the side of column with the rest of its body on the top of the cap stone. I was like oh NO! I went and got a broom and tried to run the snake away. It actually put up a fight. It came down on the porch and coiled up in a striking position. I went to my room for a second to grab something and came back and it was gone. I thought I hope that snake does not come back. I made noise and decided to leave the light on. I was watching TV and my bedroom is on the front of house. I kept looking out the window. I was just about to go to be after 11 pm and looked out the blinds and saw what looked like a thick black rubber hose laying on the cap stone. The dang snake was back. So I jumped up grabbed a shirt and shoes and came back again with the broom. This time the snake was on the inside of the column starting to climb straight up. I got it off and this time it really put up a fight. It kept striking toward me. It finally went off the porch. I had read that NC Wildlife wanted us to report rattlesnakes and another poisonous snake if we had any on our property. I knew this was a black racer or rat snake. The article I had read said don't kill the snake either stay away from it or spray water hose on it. I decided to toss a few large pots of water off that side of the porch hoping it would go on. I also decided to coat the column in dish washing detergent. I read that sometimes something like gel will keep them away from columns or climbing. I also read you could buy something like an Elizabethan collar for a dog to go around the pole. It keeps the snake from climbing up. I had nothing like that to fit, but did decide to fashion two large sheets of poster board around the column in he same type shape. I thought maybe that would help. I coated above with thick liquid soap. Well everything seemed ok for the next 3 hours. I could not sleep and kept looking out the window from my bedroom. All of a sudden the dang snake was up on the top 1/2 of the column. I once again jumped up ran to the front and the snake was completely in the nest with one bird in his wide open mouth. I put the broom toward it and it struck several times. I was inside my doorway and above the storm door with the broom. Every time I went toward it the snake would lunge at the broom. It dropped the bird in its mouth. That bird landed on the porch. Too small to do anything. The snake finally was struggling with the broom and came down and was off the porch with a flash. The little bird on the porch was gone so not sure if it snatched it during the quick drop. I could not see either of the other two babies in the nest. I don't know if the snake gobbled them that quick or they to were knocked out of the nest when the snake got in. Regardless this am I have two adult birds frantically looking for their babies. There not there. Rather sad morning.
I know the snake has to eat and that black snakes are good to have around to keep away rodents. I hope it goes away regardless. I don't care to have to deal with it ever again.
