As mentioned, the birds have dispersed for nesting.
And none too soon. The goldfinches were eating an
enormous amount of thistle seed and I was going broke.

Regarding the chickadees: I have been lucky enough to
have them nest every year, one year twice!
I usually put some wood shavings in the nest box when
I put it up. Most, but not all years, they take most of
it out, and replace it with moss, animal hair, spider web, grass.
So, maybe the Mrs. said, "Honey, could we rearrange
the furniture one more time?"

My wife was standing at the kitchen window and a bushtit
came up and collected a bunch of a spider's web for
nesting material. Sure glad i'm not a spider.

I have yet to find their nest, but I'm fairly certain
it's in the same fir tree they nested in about 5 years ago.

Douglas Daily, Patricia Federighi, Bargello
Northgate, Seattle, WA
mailto: dfdaily at juno.com