Did a pair of birds make a mistake by nesting in a Los Gatos hanging plant?

Rabbits in the garden or yard can cause serious damage to plants. They are attracted to almost all green things. (Lorraine Hudgins/Getty Images)

DEAR JOAN: Twice in the past four weeks, a pair of juncos have built nests and laid eggs in our hanging geraniums. We became aware of it when we saw that the parent birds were watching us very closely as we sat on the terrace. The hanging baskets are about 8 feet off the ground, which surprises me since I read that juncos usually build their nests on the ground in bushes or woodpiles.

The first batch of two young birds hid in the bushes of our covered patio. We found one dead, but there were no signs of trauma. The second was actively fed as it fluttered and hopped about. Finally he flew away to be alone.

Now we see the parents nesting on their eggs, this time in another geranium.

How do the newly hatched babies end up on the floor? Do the parents push them? Do they fall? What prevents them from getting injured in a fall of 2.5 meters?

Aren’t 8-foot nests with a drip irrigation system an odd place to nest?

–Kathy Rowan, Los Gatos

DEAR KATHY: A penthouse apartment with indoor sanitary facilities seems good to me.

A female dark-eyed junco typically chooses a depression on a slope, rock face, or in a tangle of exposed tree or shrub roots for her nest, but in suburban areas, hanging plants are a favorite spot.

When the baby birds are ready to leave the nest, they fly away on their own, without pushing. The first attempt isn’t always pretty, but they rarely fail and most young birds get the hang of things quickly. During that short period they are vulnerable to predators. That might be what happened to one of the baby birds you discovered.

Some birds reuse nests, but juncos rarely do so. This is probably the reason why your birds chose a different hanging pot for their second brood. They may also have chosen your hanging pots on purpose, as the surrounding foliage can help hide them from unwanted visitors and because having people around can discourage all kinds of predators.

DEAR JOAN: I have two cottontail rabbits that live under my patio. I really don’t have much that could feed them, but they apparently eat what the internet says they wouldn’t eat. First they cleaned up my herb garden, and now I see them eating my dymondia ground cover, plumbago bush, bougainvillea, geraniums and my succulents!

I’m afraid they’re going to breed, and I want to trap them and remove them. Any ideas? This summer I really want a vegetable garden again.

— Jenny Mart, Mountain View