I saw a bluebird checking out the birdhouse this morning and decided it was time we opened the box to see if the chickadees were finished with it. We were so afraid we'd find little bodies in there because we had only seen one fledge and the parents had apparently abandoned the house. But praise be, we found only their beautiful little nest, completely empty! So we apparently just missed seeing the others, probably three more, fledge. We felt very lucky to have seen the one, since in the last year's nesting we missed the chickadee fledging altogether. The nest as you see it below is about 5-6 inches wide and I would say about 4 inches high. I love the way they put the cavity for the eggs over to one side to give the little ones plenty of room to rest when they hatched. Oh, they had six eggs when they started, and one died when the sparrows attacked. I'm not sure what happened to the other one. But I am THRILLED that the rest fledged safely!
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It is so lovely to see that. I have seen at least 3-4 little blue tits flying around in the garden. They seem to like our garden as they can practice their flying easily and in safety in our garden.
The chick I found in our front garden was from our neighbour's front garden where the blue tits had built a nest in the lamp post. Sadly those didn't survive from magpie attack.
That is good news, Mary. I love how they make their nest with a room to the side ~ :)
That is a beautifully designed nest, isn't it facinateing how they build such a sturdy and perfect nest?
What a lovely nest. Looks like there is some kind of green moss growing on it. I'm just thrilled the babies you rescued survived. All that time spent sitting at the window watching and chasing off sparrows was well spent- what a great ending to your spring adventure.
That's actually a beautiful nest.
what a lovely nest.... all mossy..... and looks sort of soft and fuzzy on the creamy patches... like lambs wool....
Oh, how wonderful it would be to see some bluebirds. apparently they do come here...but, stay out in the country I think.... I only ever saw one land on the shed roof one time...and disappear quickly....
All's well that ends well Mary. I'm so glad the little ones made it safely through their adventure, and so GLAD you shared their story.
Bluebirds and chickadees are two of my favorite birds. I am glad the chickadees fledged several babies. Will the bluebirds nest there now?
I believe the bluebirds will nest here again. They come most days to see that no one else has taken over "their" house. They may have already nested in another location, but I'm hoping they'll come back here for their second brood.
Isn't that amazing? I love the moss cushion - aren't they smart?
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