A recent webinar on gardening for birds related that chickadees need over
6,000 (!) moth caterpillars to fledge a nest of chicks. The moths generally
use native trees (e.g. birch, alder, bitter cherry). I don't know much
about moth caterpillars, but that could be what they were after.



On Sat, May 28, 2022 at 9:20 PM Dan Reiff <dan.owl.reiff at gmail.com> wrote:


> Hello Steve,

> Maybe removing fecal sacs from nest cavity.

> Dan Reiff

> MI

>

> Sent from my iPhone

>

> On May 28, 2022, at 6:56 PM, Steve Platz <stephenplatz at pm.me> wrote:

>

> 

> We witnessed a couple of Chestnut-backed Chickadees today going in and out

> of what we assumed was a nest, an excavated hole in a snag maybe fifty feet

> up. I took a couple of shots when there was activity, and noticed that the

> two appeared to be exiting with grubs, not entering. We are now wondering

> if these birds were actually harvesting from the cavity, and not depositing

> in hungry mouths. At home we've been enjoying seeing a parent CBC coming

> for suet and feeding three fledglings mouthfuls of cake as they shake in

> the tree nearby in anticipation. Some are learning to come to the suet

> themselves, but mostly still preferring to be fed!

>

>

> Sent with Proton Mail <https://proton.me/> secure email.

> _______________________________________________

> Tweeters mailing list

> Tweeters at u.washington.edu

> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters

>

> _______________________________________________

> Tweeters mailing list

> Tweeters at u.washington.edu

> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters

>



--
​Steve Hampton​
Port Townsend, WA (qatáy)