Chickadee Surprise

A couple of years ago, I designed new Bluebird / Tree Swallows nest houses after becoming exceedingly disappointed in the wooden models we had put up around the property. Latches broke (allowing predators to reach the chicks – or just allowing them to fall from their nests), wood cracked and split, and a typical box needed to be replaced after just a year or two!

Since offering the PVC houses, I’ve observed many pairs of Eastern Bluebirds, Tree Swallows and House Wrens successfully rear their chicks in the nearly indestructible houses. But, the other day I was very surprised to discover a Black-capped Chickadee pair using one of the PVC “FarmGoneWild” houses.

While I hear and see many Chickadees (Black-capped and Carolina – based on Merlin App via song recognition) around our property, they tend to be located in small stands of mature trees. In particular, they seem to prefer the little island of Ponderosa Pine trees at the north end of our pond. I also see them in a one acre parcel of mature deciduous trees near the old house. Based on a bit of research (BirdFact.com), “chickadees prefer to nest in cavities of trees around the edges of mixed and deciduous forests. They seek rotting and decaying tree trucks”… in which they excavate a hollow.

We don’t have a “forest” on our property. Trees of various ages exist along hedgerows or where previous grazing animals and now the “hay guy” have been unable to harvest the prairie grasses. The PVC house that this chickadee pair has chosen in which to raise their brood, sits on the far edge of a row of volunteer trees which sprouted along a fence that was removed several years ago. I determined where we’d place the PVC houses based on the needs of Bluebirds and Tree Swallows and those species like open spaces. Nonetheless, I am thrilled that the Chickadees are using house “G” to raise their brood!

I did not want to disturb this pair to look inside the house. But, based on the frequency of their arrival with grubs and insects, it’s clear that they are feeding chicks at this time!

Chickadees move FAST and it was hard to capture their activity in still shots. The next few photos were taken in sequence. The shutter speed on my camera is set at 1/200 to 1/30 second. It was a bright day, with full sunlight. So, the shutter speed was at the fast end of that range. Still, there’s a big gap between where the bird is located from frame to frame. From a stand still on top, this bird hopped vertically to drop down to the level of the entry hole and turned 90 degrees and shot across to the entrance all in under second!

The Chickadees were flying quite a distance from the house to hunt up the next meal. Then, they’d arrive either directly in flight to the entry hole or the top of the house. Alternatively, they landed in the small tree that is about 20 feet from the house to the north.

I am excited about following this pair’s journey raising their chicks. Hopefully, the chicks weren’t nearly ready to fledge when I filmed on 5/12/24. It’s been poor weather and I haven’t been out for a couple of days to see how they are doing. From hatching to leaving the nest, it’s only 14-18 days!

If you are interested in purchasing one of our bird houses, visit our Etsy shop: FARMGONEWILD