Description

A chickadee nest was built in a metal pole we have protecting our well from driveway activity. The 3.5 foot pole is hollow and filled with sand up to about the last 5-8 inches. We had a decorative elf on top of the hole which is 3 inches in diameter. It left a narrow opening of .75 inch wide by 2 inches long which the chickadees went into to build the nest. The first fledgling made it out in 16 days after hatching, however the second one could not. We watched the parents care for the one that fledged and then return with food for the nestling. However, we had a significant rain storm which caused the nest to settle further down into the pipe. The parents continued to feed the nestling, but not as frequent as before, and the mother no longer spent nights in the nest. After an additional 11 days and then chirping and flapping by the nestling we decided to move the elf over a bit. We did and soon the nestling fledged successfully! The parents found it and fed it much more frequently than when it had been in the nest. After hopping on the ground and some peony bushes for about an hour, it flew into a pine tree and both parents brought it food every few minutes. We video taped that but I am unsure if I can attach that. The fledgling later flew with its parents into a thick stand of spruce and oak trees. Two chickadees survived from this nesting experience. The nest was only 20 feet from our main entrance to our house so we could sit outside and watch the activity all day. It was a tremendous experience!

Category

Unusual nests

Species

• Black-capped Chickadee