When I last wrote about my chickadee nest boxes, I had three active nests coddling 17 precious eggs. Two NestWatch checks later, I have 11 eggs still being brooded by attentive moms as well as 6 little naked and blind nestlings.
The six nestlings hatched on May 26 after 13 days of incubation. When I checked in around 6pm on hatch day, 5 eggs had hatched. The other egg probably hatched later that day or the next.
Hatch Day May 26th
Six naked and blind nestlings on May 29th, age 3 days!!
I use an automotive mirror to give me a nice look into the box. What concerns me about this nest is that the nesting material lining the bottom of the cup is gone and the little nestlings are laying directly on the bottom of the box. The good thing is that it is a smooth material and not a rough hewn wood.
The nestlings will be brooded by mom almost constantly for the next few days to keep their little featherless bodies warm. They'll be fed an insect diet provided by both mom and dad. Chickadees in my boxes usually stay in the nest for 18 days so it'll be the 2nd week in June before they leave the nest.
Mom chickadees on my other nests are incubating away. All my nest boxes are mounted on Advanced Pole System poles with baffles so the risk of losing an egg or nestling to squirrels or chipmunks is practically nil. Protecting my nestboxes with baffles has helped me have excellent success with my baby chickadees.
Stay tuned for my next NestWatch report. They'll probably be hatching in less than a week.
Metis, after losing a brood many years back with an un-baffled pole, I'll NEVER have a box without a baffle again. If there's something I can do to reduce mortality, I'm gonna do it!!!
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | June 19, 2014 at 10:45 AM
Thank you for sharing pictures of the newly hatched babies! The baffles are a great idea. We want to give nestlings all the help they can get!
Posted by: Metis Birding | June 17, 2014 at 02:30 PM
Thank you Daniel!
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | June 13, 2014 at 10:09 AM
You are doing a fabulous job assisting mother nature.
Posted by: Daniel LaFrance | June 04, 2014 at 10:30 AM