Written By: Sarah Girton
A few weeks ago we asked for contributions from you about your experiences with nesting birds in your yard! We got some great responses. It is something truly special when a bird feels that your yard is safe enough to raise a family in. Not only that, you get to witness the entire process. And you definitely get invested! Every day you see progress…with the nest building, with all the food the parents bring back, watching those precious nestlings get bigger every day! It’s a beautiful little microcosm of the cycle of life.
Without further ado, here are your amazing stories:
“Nest building started April 2, 2023 with a few scrapes. Today, the nest is quite cozy and hopefully ready for some eggs! I usually see the male chirping away outside the box around 5:30 a.m. He peaks his head in, sometimes goes in for a brief moment and waits patiently until the Mrs comes out. Usually around 6:30 a.m. My birdhouse is on the backyard fence next to a small pine tree. We landscaped our yard last fall, so we have posts in the ground to support the tree, which the Mountain Chickadee loves to perch on. It is truly so much fun to hang out, listen and watch. I have my heated birdbath and feeders (thanks WBU) set up for a quick bite and drink. Some people have animals as pets, I have my wild birds 🙂
*Last year, we had Black-capped Chickadees raise a family in our hanging chickadee birdhouse in our front tree. It was so exciting to see. We bought a wireless endoscope to check progress and take pictures. The video and picture of the babies are from last year. You can see their heartbeat.”
────────────
✦•······················•✦•······················•✦
Here is another great submission:
“About a month ago, I noticed a pair of finches darting between our bird feeder and a young evergreen in our yard. After three days of this behavior, I grabbed a stool to take a closer look. They must have decided it was a good place to call home because I noticed a nest nestled deep in the branches with four hatchlings in it. I knew our dogs would be curious so the first thing I did was put a safety gate around the base of the tree in case any of the young birds fell to the ground while trying out their new wings. Two days later, there was a small bird carcass on one of the tree limbs; it looked like it never fully developed and was ousted from the nest. I’m glad that fence kept my dogs away from a potentially unsavory snack. Any time I grabbed the stool for another peek, I’d notice the parent birds watching me very closely from an adjacent tree before swooping in to care for their babes.
As the birds grew, their songs became louder, especially when it was feeding time. Then the songs stopped. All the babes had grown and flown.
I still see the parents visit the evergreen but not as frequently. Now when I see finches at the feeder, I wonder if any of them were the ones from the evergreen.”
✦•······················•✦•······················•✦
And finally, here is an adorable photo submission of a pair of Mountain Chickadees making themselves right at home in a nesting box! I just love that little face peeking out of the hole!!!
Thank you SO much to those who contributed their amazing experiences.
❤️🕊️
❤️