The Zen Birdfeeder

An Attentive Chickadee Dad

I guess I was a little worried about this nestbox full of Black-capped Chickadee eggs.  I placed the box out on May 6th and within 3 days, portions of a nest had been built.  Within 12 days of putting it out, it had 6 eggs in it.

The nest concerned me though.  It was a very shallow nest with a good base of wood chips still there, but a very small layer of moss with a bit of soft nesting material on top.  It was much shallower than the nests in the other nestboxes.

Was this a set of new parents, anxious to start a family but a little short on nest-building skills?  Was the nest deep enough to stay insulated if cool, wet weather hit?  (which it did)  The cup was beautiful, but were the eggs protected underneath?

I have to say, they're an attentive pair.  Mom has been flushed or in the area every time I've done a NestWatch check.  And dad is busy on the job too.  As I approached the nest once, he was right there, clinging on the front of the box, keeping mom company (ok, I anthropomorphize!)

He left when I approached, but as I knocked on the box to get mom to flush and prepared to open the box, he bravely flew back down to land on the top of the box and give me the stink-eye.  "What are you doing to my babies?!?!?!  Go AWAY!!"

So maybe the nest isn't the most plush one out there, but I've got to give it to the parents - they seem to be giving great care to their 6 little chickadees!

Related articles

Meet the Moms

Now That's a Mouthful!!

Sexing a Chickadee (It's not what you think)

FAQ - Can I Put Dryer Lint Out for the Birds?

Q. Can I put out dryer lint as nesting material for the birds?

A. We don't recommend it.  Dryer lint often contains cotton and synthetic fibers that compact when wet, and then form into a hardened mess when it dries.  This causes the material to lose any insulating properties.  One of the functions of nesting material is to help insulate the nest, so dryer lint is a poor choice.

Meet the Moms

For the first time ever, our property is hosting three nestboxes filled with Black-capped Chickadee eggs!  We've had two boxes fledge young before, so I pushed my luck and erected two more boxes this year, all within the front third of our 3 acre lot.

The egg-laying extravaganza started the second week of May, and by the time the three moms were done, there were a total of 20 eggs.  TWENTY little chickadees that will enter the outside world around the second week in June!

I'd like to introduce the hard-working moms.  They will do all 12 days of incubation.  Dad IS helping out by bringing food to mom, and later to the nestlings.  I'll try to capture images of the dads when feeding activity picks up.

Front West Nestbox

Here's mom #1.  She laid 7 eggs in the nestbox tucked in the west corner of the front yard.  This box has fledged 11 chickadees in the last two years.  I'm estimating a hatch date of May 30 - June 1.

West Woods Nestbox

Here's mom #2.  She laid 6 eggs in the nestbox I erected this year in an opening in the woods to the west of our house.  The box was placed on May 6, and within a week, it had eggs in it.  I'm estimating a hatch date of May 27 - 29.

Back Yard Nestbox

Here's mom #3.  She too has 7 eggs.  This location has fledged chickadees in the past, but the box is new and allows me to monitor it.  I'm estimating a hatch date of May 24-26.

Stayed tuned right here for more reports on the progress of these 20 chickadees-to-be!

 

 

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Now That's a Mouthful!!

Sexing a Chickadee (It's not what you think)

Sexing a Chickadee (It's not what you think)

Quick!  Male or female?

Ok, too easy:  female Northern Cardinal. 
Try this one.  Girl or boy?

Right!  The red patch on back of the head tells us it's a male Hairy Woodpecker. 
Still too easy.  Try this one: girl or boy?

Got ya!  For most of us bird lovers who aren't lucky enough to hold a Black-capped Chickadee in our hand, we can't tell a girl chickadee from a boy chickadee just by looking at them.  Unless we see a chickadee as he sings the familiar "feebee" call (which only the male sings), we just live with it and accept it as one of the daily unknowns in bird watching.

But right now - during chickadee nesting time - we MAY be able to identify a male bird or a female bird.  One way requires a close and somewhat intimate observation of a hard-to-see physical attribute.  As a result, it might be really hard to accomplish.  The other way just requires close observation of behavior, albeit during a fairly short time frame, and is something we all can do with a little time, knowledge, and practice.

First the hard one.  During mating season, the male chickadee's external reproductive part - the cloaca - enlarges.  Swelling at the base of the cloaca that is most likely due to an accumulation of seminal fluid (as opposed to some other cause.) 

Identification Guide to North American Birds,
Peter Pyle

Folks who band birds (and have the benefit of having the bird in their hand) may then judge the degree of this enlargement on a 5 point scale.  They may feel confident calling the bird a male with a 2 or higher rating.

Out in nature, if you're able to get a good view of a chickadee's underside, you may see the cloacal protuberance and, based on the degree of enlargement, be able to identify it as a male.  There is a lot of judgement in this call, and doing it real-time versus looking at pictures may make it just about impossible. 

A side view is better than a straight on view.

With the help of an experienced bird bander, it was felt this bird is indeed a male chickadee.  Told ya - it's kind of hard, and I'm not sure I would (or should) make the call on my own.

 

Another visual that might be a clue is the presence of a brood patch, a spot on the female's lower belly area that lacks feathers, increasing the warmth that can be passed along to eggs during incubation.  Since only the female chickadee incubates eggs, seeing a brood patch might help identify the female.  This is not a large patch and it can sometimes be covered with surrounding feathers, so it too might be difficult to see.

Much easier is to watch the pair's behavior during the nesting season.  During that time, certain roles are assumed only by the female.  So if you observe two paired-up chickadees, you may be able to tell which one is the male and which is the female by their behaviors.

Here are the nesting behaviors that are unique to one or the other and which may give you a clear indication of sex:

• Only the female incubates the eggs.
• The male will call the female softly as he approaches the nest to feed her during the incubation period.  The female may exit the nest to get the food from the male.
• Only the female broods the newly hatched young, again with the male bringing food to the nest.

You have a limited period of time to catch these behaviors.  Incubation only lasts 12 days, and brooding of nestlings only lasts a few more days after that.  One of the best ways to have a chance is to participate in the Cornell Lab's NestWatch citizen science program, as you will likely observe behavior differences between the adults during one or more of your nest checks.

I really don't know why I have this fascination with determining the sex of a chickadee.  Maybe it's because it IS an unknown for most of the year, and unlocking the mystery is both a challenge and an adventure.  It doesn't change a thing, but for some reason, I look forward to the challenge each year.

 

Sources:  Julie Craves, Supervisor of Avian Research, Rouge River Bird Observatory and A Guide to Bird Behavior Vol. 1, Donald and Lillian Stokes  

My Living Rhododendron

When you walk near my rhododendron when it is in full bloom, you notice, "IT'S ALIVE!!"  Alive with American Bumble Bees!

At any one time, there are dozens of these bees moving from flower to flower, gathering pollen.  They seem unconcerned about my presence only 3 feet away. 

They are not aggressive at all, only hard to capture in an image because of their constant movement.

All the bees were about the same size; they were worker bees.  Then one huge bee came into the bush - I'm pretty sure it was the queen bee. 

The queen is larger than all the workers, and she's the only bee in last year's colony to have overwintered underground, surviving to start this year's colony.

These bees do sting, but they are not aggressive, so look for them this spring and keep an eye out for the big queen!

Now That's a Mouthful!!

During Black-capped Chickadee nesting season (April - July), you can tell alot about what's going on in their lives by what they're carrying in their beak.  Here's a guide to some of the stuff you might see them carrying and what it might mean.

WOOD CHIPS

If you see a chickadee with a beak-full of wood chips, they are in the early stages of clearing a potential nest cavity.  If you put out a nest box for the chickadees, put an inch or two of wood chips in the bottom of the box and you'll even see them carrying chips out of an artificial cavity.

Make sure to watch them as they fly off; they will land on a perch away from the cavity before dropping the chips.

MOSS

If you see a chickadee carrying strands of moss, it may have started to build a nest within a cavity.  This moss base may include other fibrous materials as well.  I've seen them taking fibers out of our coco doormat to add to their nest!

ANIMAL HAIR AND FIBER

When you see a chickadee carrying a beakful of animal hair, they may be putting the finishing touches on a nest.  This lining of soft material will nestle the eggs and eventually the nestlings, helping to keep them warm.  You can offer alpaca fiber, sheep wool, or even dog or cat hair.

Chickadees will sometimes start or even complete a nest and never use it.  So watch for these other beakfuls to see if you really have an active chickadee nest.

INSECTS

See a chickadee take a juicy green caterpillar into a cavity and - lucky you! - there's a good chance you've got eggs and maybe babies!!  While mom is incubating eggs, dad brings her food.  Sometimes she'll come out to get it, or else he'll bring it in to her.  Then, after the eggs have hatched, insects make up the nestlings' entire diet. 

This stage is fairly easy to observe since parents get pretty busy providing insects for their rapidly growing young.  You'll be able to enjoy this activity for about 28 days: 12 days of the female being fed by the male during incubation and 16 days from when the eggs hatch to when the babies are ready to leave the nest.

FECAL SACS

If you see a chickadee exiting a nest with a dark-and-light blob, they're doing a little housecleaning.  They're cleaning a tidy sack of poop, called a fecal sac, that has been left by a nestling.

Chickadees are so common in backyards that it's easy to observe their nesting activities if you take the time.  See if you can follow their progress through each of these steps in the process.  Have fun but be careful you're not disturbing them!

Top 3 Benefits from Bats

Bats can sometimes get a bad reputation, but before we judge them, here are three really big benefits that bats provide:

Pest control

• They eat millions and millions of night-flying insects
• They help control agricultural pests - farmers love the work bats do!

Mexican Free-tailed Bats emerging from Bracken Cave
in search of flying insects

Pollinate

• Bats help ensure production of seeds and fruit - again, the farmer's friend!
• They improve genetic diversity
• If you love bananas, or avocados, or peaches, or cashews - thank bats.  These foods depend on pollination by bats

Disperse seed

• Bats help to restore lost or damaged rainforest
• They are more effective seed dispersers than birds

So give bats a break.  Learn about them and learn to protect them.  Add a bat box.  Do whatever you can to help these beneficial creatures of the night.

Here's a couple videos of Mexican Free-tailed Bats as they emerge from Bracken Cave in Texas.

 

 

Video by Nancy Castillo
Facts Source:  Bat Conservation International

 

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Wasp Nests in My Bat Box

Bats by the Numbers

66    percent of bat species that hunt insects

1000    the number of mosquito-sized insects that ONE Little Brown Bat can eat in just one hour

$3.7 million    the estimated value of bats in the U.S. in reduced crop damage and reduced pesticide use

33    percent of bat species that feed on the fruit or nectar of plants

41    years is the record for the oldest bat in the wild

1    on average, the number of young reared per year

5.7 million    the number of bats killed by White nose Syndrome since 2006 (as of spring 2013).  Biologists call the loss "the most precipitous wildlife decline in the past century in North America".

 

Millions of Mexican Free-tailed Bats
leave Bracken Cave each summer evening

Images by Nancy Castillo
Fact Source:  Bat Conservation International 

 

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Wasp Nests in My Bat Box

Help Produce the Passenger Pigeon Documentary "From Billions to None"

Last fall, I wrote a post entitled "Too Many Doves", which was to illustrate that the Mourning Dove population of 400 million birds shouldn't be taken for granted, a point proven by the extinction of a bird that used to number in the billions: the Passenger Pigeon.

Passenger Pigeon specimens at Cornell Lab of Ornithology

As a result of the background reading I did for that post, I now have a heightened interest in all things Passenger Pigeon.  That's why I want to tell you about an exciting documentary currently being created by the Project Passenger Pigeon group. 

The message of my original post was that there is a lesson to be learned from the extinction of a species that was so numerous that its mass flights would literally darken the skies.  This is one of the goals of Project Passenger Pigeon as well.  Right now, they are hard at work on a documentary called "From Billions to None: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction".  Here's where you can help.

The project has launched a Crowdfunding Campaign to help fund the film's production.  Check out the campaign page where you can see a trailer of the film.  If you are able, please join me in helping this film become reality by making a donation.  There are many contribution levels available, and I'm sure they'd appreciate anything you can give.

I know that I'm looking forward to seeing the finished documentary!

 

5 Tips to Attracting Orioles into your Yard

One of the first questions we ask customers who come in our shop hoping to attract orioles is whether they've seen them in their area before.  If they answer "no", we usually suggest they watch for them and pick up a feeder when they know they have the proper habitat for orioles.

If they say "yes, I saw them last year" or "yes, I've seen their unmistakable pendulous nest in a nearby tree", we then encourage them to try an oriole feeder.

If you can answer "yes" to my question, here are my top 5 tips for attracting orioles into your yard.

1)  Have the oriole feeder up and ready BEFORE they arrive.
In our area of east central New York state, that means putting out an oriole feeder near the beginning of May.

2)  Hang the feeder so it's visible from the treetops.
Orioles are treetop birds, so make sure you hang your oriole feeder where they would be most likely to see it from their perches at the top of deciduous trees.

3)  Offer fruit.
Oranges are the easiest food to offer orioles at a birdfeeder.  Cut them in half so the insides are up.
You can also offer grape jelly.  Orioles have a sweet tooth and will eat mounds of grape jelly daily.  Don't make the jelly pile too deep, just in case some other smaller bird with a sweet tooth gets into it.

4)  Offer mealworms.
Orioles eat insects, especially tent caterpillars, and will eat live mealworms offered in a birdfeeder.

5)  Offer nectar.
Orioles will lap up nectar, but because of the size of their bill, it needs to be in a specialty oriole feeder that has ports bigger than those on a hummingbird feeder.
The nectar concentration is weaker too, 8-to-1 instead of the hummingbird nectar ratio of 4-to-1.  Check out the nectar recipe page on our website.

At our Wild Birds Unlimited shop, we have a number of oriole feeders for providing these foods. Or check out our online store.

So, get those feeders out and watch for that stunning flash of orange and black of the beautiful male oriole!

Photo credits: 
Image 1 & 2 - WBU Inc. image library
Image 3 - Mary Foss Bullard, WBU-Saratoga's Fan PIC of the YEAR 2012.