Subject: [Tweeters] Nest box wars
Date: May 31 15:04:26 2010
From: Kristi Hein - khc at picturesandwords.com


Hi everyone,

Early in May, it looked like a pair of Black-capped Chickadees had moved
into the nest box that Violet-green Swallows have used since 2006. Even
though we waited until the swallows first arrived to put the cleaned box
back up. The chickadees were quicker than the swallows.

We've observed chickadees going in and out. The swallows would circle
and swoop by from time to time. Then two days ago I noticed something
strange. An empty eggshell (robin's-egg blue) lay on the roof of the
nest box. How did it get there? I looked closer and saw some nesting
material also on the roof. Hmmm. Later the blue eggshell was on the
driveway below, probably blown by the wind. (Any ideas about this? Very
weird. The box is too high for a person to reach without a ladder. It
had to have been brought by a bird. Is this recorded behavior?)

Yesterday I observed a swallow sitting on the nest box roof. A chickadee
was watching from the plum tree nearby. The swallow did many fly-bys,
occasionally returning to the roof.

Today I returned from errands to see a dead chickadee lying on the
driveway not far from the nest box. It was an adult, with part of its
head bare of feathers. A swallow was perched at the nest box entrance. I
carried the chickadee to the tall grass in the alley and returned to
watch the nest box. There was a swallow on the roof, possibly with a bit
of nesting material. Before long, it flew out in circles, then entered
the box.

So . . . it looks like the swallows have prevailed, though it's getting
awfully late in the year to be just starting to build a nest. Of course,
if chickadees have already provided the box spring, all the swallows
need to add is the mattress . . .

>sigh< -- nature is rough sometimes.

Kristi Hein
Anacortes
khc
at
picturesandwords.com
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