Tiny Homes Slice Readers Show That Birds Will Nest Pretty Much Anywhere

Spokane’s Barbara Hooper wins The Slice’s Bird Nest Photo Contest for her shot of a robin’s nest built atop a decorative bird house.

“It’s also above the favorite spot of our cat, Spook,” she wrote. “The chicks have now hatched and old Spook is still asleep.”

Hooper, who edged about a dozen strong contenders, wins a hardcover copy of “Loons: Song of the Wild.”

Forty-seven readers submitted a total of 103 snapshots.

Robins’ nests were the most popular subjects. But other nest photos ranged from hawks to hummingbirds. From killdeer to penguins. From osprey to, well, you get the picture.

Readers from North Idaho to Moses Lake discovered nests on top of a Japanese lantern, in a wind chime, on utility meters, on a bridge pillar, on a Christmas wreath, on light poles, in a bicycle, in hanging plants, in a wheat field, on a truck tire, in the middle of a heavy-equipment yard and lots of other places.

More than a few photos were accompanied by accounts of people who had stopped using their front door, turned off a nest-supporting garage light or taken some other measure to ensure that a feathered family wouldn’t be disturbed.

Like lots of others at this time of year, Newman Lake’s Tami and Jim Hansen saw baby robins grow from hatchlings to fliers. “They are all gone now,” they wrote. “But we sure enjoyed watching them.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 7 Color photos