Since the 1970s, every time Illinois Department of Transportation workers have replaced a box culvert, they have added a concrete ledge for Eastern phoebes, just to increase their habitat. The sparrow-sized, fly-catching birds prefer to nest on flat surfaces such as bridges, cliffs, and yes - ledges. Culvert inspectors verify that the birds are indeed using the culvert ledges for their nests and that the nests are successful.
--Apr 25, 2003
|Photo by Peter Wallack|