Chickadee Nest Cam 2019
The Chickadees are at it again this year!
Keep checking here or come in to the store for regular updates!
Feb 5 - Two Chickadees observed checking out the nest box
March 2 - Nest box camera installed
March 30 - No activity observed in the nest box and we were beginning to worry. We finally put a small layer of wood shavings in and would you believe the Chickadees began investigating the same day!
April 1 - More investigation of the inside of the nest box, but no commitment from the Chickadee yet!
April 4 - Chickadee went in, but only to have a look around. What looked like a bumblebee had a look around later that day as well.
April 12 - Finally this morning the Chickadee started to move the wood shavings around. By the afternoon it began removing the wood shavings from the nest box.
April 14 - Removal of wood shavings continues. At one point both Chickadees were in the box at the same time! We can only assume they were conversing on how best to get their nest built in time for arrival of the eggs!
April 15 - Dark spots started to appear in the middle of the box - the first bit of nesting material perhaps?
April 17 - Nest building continues! The Chickadees are bringing in more and more nest material (lichens and mosses) and are wiggling around to form the shape of the nest.
April 20 - Chickadees still working hard at bringing in nesting material.
April 22 - Rainy day resulting in not much activity, Chickadees most likely roosting somewhere dry and warm.
April 23 - The Chickadees are back at it! Continuing to build and shape nest.
April 26 - Chickadee appears to be starting the lining of the nest with animal fur and possibly nesting material (cotton)
April 27 - Very windy day resulting in not much activity
May 1 - No activity all day until around 5:15 when the chickadee went in and tucked its head under its wing
May 2 - First sighting of eggs! First appeared to be 3-4 eggs, after few hours we discovered there is 5 total!
May 3 - The Chickadee is now incubating her 5 eggs, rotating them occasionally and only leaving the nest for short periods of time (Usually covering the eggs before leaving)
May 9 - She is still sitting on her 5 eggs, and continuing to rotate them to ensure proper development of the chicks growing inside
May 16 - We arrived to find 4 out of the 5 eggs had hatched! The remaining egg hatched later that day around 1:00 pm. Mom got to work right away feeding the chicks and Dad helped by feeding Mom. We also watched Mom do some housekeeping by eating some of the egg shell after chick #5 hatched.
May 21 - Feeding continues as all 5 chicks eagerly stick their heads up and open their mouths every time they hear Mom or Dad nearby. They still don't have much in the way of feathers and their eyes are still closed.
May 25 - The chicks are starting to grow in more feathers! They are still eagerly opening their mouths for food. They must be getting bigger, as they are coming even closer to the camera when they beg for food.
May 27 - The chicks' eyes are opening and their feathers are starting to come in! They are actually starting to look like Chickadees now! They're getting bigger too, and some chicks are starting to sit on the side of the nest.
June 3 - Now 18 days after hatching he chicks are all fully grown. They're so big we can't even see them all on the camera! Typically Black-capped Chickadee nestlings fledge (leave the nest) 12-16 days after hatching.
June 4 - Although we can only count 4 chicks at a time, we think they are all still in the nest. And of course they're still constantly being fed a steady diet of insects and Jim's Birdacious® Bark Butter®!
June 5 - The Chickadees have fledged! We arrived in the morning to find an empty nest. Now we're just waiting for the parents to start bringing the fledglings to the feeders.
Previous Nesting Seasons:
2018 - No Nest Cam