Spring Cleaning the Chickadee Way

As most can attest, it’s very satisfying when you get something accomplished, and even more satisfying when it works the way it’s intended to. However, when it deals with nature there's no guarantee things will go as planned, but when it does, it makes it all the more worth while.

That’s what happened recently with the chickadee nest tube project I built last spring. If you are a follower you may remember the post titled “DIY Chickadee Nest Tube”. Unfortunately there were no takers last year – probably because I got it up a little to late in the spring. Or, maybe the declining housing market had something to do with it (just kidding about that last part).

It’s still early, but there’s reason to believe that this spring (if it ever gets here) is going to be different. The short warm spell that teased us last weekend got everyone in the spring cleaning mode. Including these little Carolina Chickadees.

To my surprise, a pair of Carolina Chickadees spent all weekend cleaning out the PVC nest tube. Each were taking turns removing the wood shavings from the nest cavity. Studies indicate that chickadees prefer to nest in cavities they excavate themselves; so I filled the cavity with loose wood shavings prior to putting up.

The shavings kept them occupied most of the weekend, flying in and out with beak full of wood, landing in a nearby tree and dropping them to the ground.

Chickadees are a fun to watch. They're one of the most bravest and curious of the backyard birds. They often seem tame at times.

They've slowed up a bit on their nesting activities now that the weather has cooled off again, but hopefully they'll resume their spring cleaning activities soon.

If interested in building your own chickadee nest tube follow the link below to learn how:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/Birdscope/Winter2009/chickadee_tube.html

Be sure to visit Birdfreak's BPW #79 to see more bird photos!

Technorati Tags: Carolina Chickadee,DIY Chickadee Nest Tube,Spring,PVC

DIY Chickadee Nest Tube, Part 2

The above photo is of a Carolina Chickadee taken with my Wingscapes BirdCam. They're fun little birds to watch. I've had a pair in my backyard for most of the winter. According to the Cornell Lab - All About Birds website, the pair bond between a male and female Carolina Chickadee can remain intact for many years. The probability that a pair will remain together seems to vary among regional populations.

You may remember my post from a month or so ago on making your own chickadee nest tube. I'm not the construction type, but I found the instructions fairly easy to follow and in one Saturday afternoon I had it built, painted and mounted in place. I've laid out some of my steps below. Refer to the plan for the complete details. Keep in mind that there's always more than one way to do something. I did what worked best for me with the tools that I had on hand.

Here are the two main items needed - a 10' section of pvc pipe (4" diameter) and a 6' fence Post (I believe these are called T-fence post). Keep in mind that this is the thin walled pvc pipe with the flared edge on one end, as opposed to the thicker straight, slightly more expensive pvc pipe. If you can find some recycled scrap pieces then all the better.

The 10' section of pvc requires two cuts in accordance with the plans. Once my cuts were marked, I used a standard hacksaw to cut the pipe. It's easier to make a straight cut if you twist the pipe as you cut.

The entrance hole should be 1-1/8 inch in diameter. I happened to have a paddle drill bit that same exact size. These drill bits are not the best choice to use on this type of material. There made for drilling into wood; however, since this is what I had I made it work. First mark the the center of where the hole is to be drilled out and drilled a pilot hole. I then inserted the center of the paddle drill bit in the pilot hole and ran my drill back and forth until it broke through. It didn't make the prettiest circle but I'm sure the chickadees wont mind. Just be sure to use a file or sandpaper to remove any sharp loose pieces.

I had a some scrape 1/2" thick cedar wood that I used to make a round plug (using my jig saw) for the bottom floor of the house. I inserted the plug and used screws to secure it in place as shown below. If you decide to use screws as I did be sure to insert the bottom plug high enough into the tube so that when the coupling is inserted it doesn't interfere with the outside heads of the screws.

Once all cut and put together I spay painted the tube with a coat of brown paint first. Once that had dried I spray painted another coat on top of that using a dark green color. Don't spend too much time painting the tube. I did both coats fast and somewhat uneven to give it a more natural look that will blend in better with the surrounding landscape.

I then hammered the fence post into the ground keeping it as level as possible. I then attached it to the pvc using 2" exterior screws. The fence post already comes with pre-drilled holes so that's where I drilled my screws.

Below is the bottom section installed on the fence post. All that's left is to slip on the top half.

Here is the complete assembly (below). Hopefully the small shrubs planted around it will grow taller within the next couple of years and help it to blend in better.

Chickadees like to excavate their own nest so before putting the top cap on be sure to fill the cavity with wood shavings.

Like I mentioned earlier, this was a fun, easy project that I did in one afternoon. Total price of this project was about $25.00. I'll be sure to follow up when or if a chickadee pair decide to make it their home.

Related post: http://birdsnsuch.blogspot.com/2009/02/birdscope-diy-chickadee-nest-tube.html

 

Technorati Tags: Chickadee Nest Tube,DIY,Bird Photography Weekly

Birdscope - DIY Chickadee Nest Tube

One of the several membership publications put out by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is Birdscope. For those not aware, Birdscope is a seasonal newsletter that publishes the latest bird-related news, insights to bird-related questions, citizen science projects, tips about bird watching, and other similar educational resources. I've been receiving Birdscope for about a year now and just recently realized that anyone can access a majority of the publication online - both current and past issues.

Now that you are aware of this great resource, I wanted to share one of the articles that caught my interest recently. It first broke in the summer 2008 edition, titled Looking for the Perfect Fixer-Upper. In this article Cornell scientist experimented on which type of nest house chickadees prefer. A series of different types of houses were set out and what they found was very interesting. First, chickadees prefer birdhouses filled with wood shavings, giving them something to excavate. Second, the type of house preferred in most cases was an artificial tree snag, made from 4" PVC pipe. How cool is that?

The plans referenced in this issued weren't very detailed but the latest issue of Birdscope (winter 2009) contained better detailed plans for making your own nest tube (see links below).

If your a do-it-yourself type and would be interested in trying to attract a pair of nesting chickadees to your yard, these artificial tree snags may be the ticket! Here are a couple detailed plans that were referenced in Birdscope:

(1)http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/Birdscope/Winter2009/chickadee_tube.html

(2) http://web2.uwindsor.ca/courses/biology/dmennill/nestbox.html

...don't forget to add the wood shavings in the tube after construction.

When complete, you can paint it to look like a tree or give it a camo paint job so it will blend in with the surrounding landscape.

I'm looking forward to trying this myself. I'll keep you informed on how it goes.

 

Technorati Tags: Birdscope,Chickadee Nest Tube,DIY,PVC

Cuter than a Chickadee - Nest Tube Update

 Five little chickadee eggs equals....

five little chickadee chicks.

So, what's cuter than a chickadee? How about baby chickadees!

These little Carolina chickadees are in my chickadee nest tube I constructed last year. They are about two weeks old now and will be fledging within the next few days (between 16 -19 days).  As a matter of fact, today will be my last time peaking at them because at this age they could fledge prematurely if disturbed too much.

It's been fun watching the parents go back and forth into the nest cavity feeding their babies.

Both the male and female take part in caring for the young. Carolina chickadees will normally raise just one brood a year. I'm looking forward to seeing the young ones around the yard this summer.

To learn more about Carolina chickadees check out these links:

http://www.sialis.org/cach.htm / http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Carolina_Chickadee/id

 

Technorati Tags: Carolina Chickadee,Nest tube,Fledglings,Eggs

Easter Eggs

 Look at what's arrived just in time for Easter. The warm spring weather has the birds extra active in my area and the nesting season is well underway. Above is a Eastern Bluebird nest in one of my pvc nest boxes. Eastern  Bluebirds normally lay between 3 - 6 eggs.

Another early season nester is the Carolina Chickadee. Those who have followed this blog may remember the chickadee nest tube I built last spring. I'm please to report that the pair of chickadees I posted about a couple months back have decided to make it their home. Carolina Chickadees normally lay between 3 - 8 eggs. That's their eggs below.

These may not be traditional Easter eggs, but their still fun to find. Have a great Easter everyone!!

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said... (Matthew 28:6)

 

Technorati Tags: Easter,Eggs,Eastern Bluebird,Carolina Chickadee,Nest