Chickadees!

[thistlebloom]

Every now and then a chickadee pair will nest in the birdhouse by our front door, in spite of all the traffic going in and out. It was fun watching the whole process as the parents built the nest, I even recognized the horse hair clumps from the pile I made when I groomed the winter coat off the little horse.
Then the busy pair feeding the babies, and finally the babies taking their first little flights.
Chickadees are common little birds but are amazing little pest control buddies as they love to eat caterpillars, especially spruce budworms.

Yelling for mom to hurry up with lunch.

Mom kept looking at me, probably annoyed by my snooping.

Is that sweet or what?

 

[so lucky]

I love having birds nest close to our outdoor living areas. (Except English Sparrows!) Wrens are fun, but really noisy. What is that spring thing hanging from the birdhouse?

 

[thistlebloom]

It's a moose and a welcome sign. A gift from my niece who gives me moosey stuff.

They fledged the day after I took these pictures, which was Memorial Day.
I walked around to the front of the house via the lawn and nearly squashed two of them who were huddled together on the grass. I'm glad I saw them before the dogs, so stuffed the two back in the nest and put the dogs away.
I know, not the right thing to do, but I just wanted them contained until I could wrap some wire fencing around the birdhouse area.
My husband got home early and did the same thing, put them back in the nest.

That poor mama bird was probably cussing us out. Dh saw them later across the lawn and the parents were feeding them. It's amazing that they survive, they are so vulnerable when they leave the nest.

 

[ninnymary]

Oh how cute! Love that smoke bush and the bird house. They look well together.

Mary

 

[journey11]

We've really enjoyed our bluebird box out by the garden. Mama bluebird raised 6 babies this year and never came back for a second brood (those 6 must have done her in, lol.) MIL bought us 3 or 4 other wooden birdhouses, but I haven't hung them. I believe there was a chickadee box too. I have only one tree in my yard and no where to put them! Maybe I will try hanging mine close by too.