Birds in New Jersey 2015
18 May 2015 - Black-capped chickadees have given birth in our nest box
On 15 May we saw a few eggs and at least one little pink thing inside the nest box.
Now we see two chickadees regularly going in and out of the nest box.
Sometimes the one chickadee arrives with food, and calls to the other chickadee. Then the chickadee inside the nestbox
flies out, and the one with the food flies in.
And then a long time (or so it seems when you're waiting) can go by with no sign of either Mom or Dad chickadee.
It's been about three days since the babies started hatching. It's time to do a little tap, tap on the outside, to get the Mom to fly out.
But in this case, when the side door is opened, there is Mom. Sometimes a chickadee mom will stay on the nest while it's photographed.
Then she flies out, and I reach in with my small A1300 Canon camera and press the shutter. What will I photograph?
A tumble of tiny 3-day-old chickadees, with freshly-brought food dropped when the mom flew out.
Either that, or 3-day-old chickadees produce bright green poop.
It looks like there's about six little ones. By the time they're about a week old, their eyes will have opened.
19 May 2015 - The next day
The next day, another two photos are taken inside the nestbox. This time, when the side door is opened, there is no mom inside.
And then, reach in with a small camera, and take two photos.
Wow.
It's amazing how fast they are growing. Even in one day, they are noticeably less pink. There's six, maybe seven, little
ones in the nest.
Videos of mom and dad flying in and out of the nestbox, bringing food to their babies:
Filmed 19 May 2015, part one >>
Filmed 19 May 2015, part two (a delicious-looking long green thing - yum !) >>