Carolina Chickadee (SC1)
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Species: Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis)
Location: Kiawah Is., SC
Status: Unsuccessful
Location: Kiawah Is., SC
Status: Unsuccessful
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April 15 -Again a Bluebird is seen inside the nest box. It is unclear if this is the same male seen earlier in the week. Males defend the area in and around nesting cavities. The area is called a “territory” and is used for mating, nesting, and feeding. |
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April 12 - Male bluebirds locate nest sites and then try to encourage females to nest with them using a nest demonstration display. The male will going in and out of a nest cavity (with drooped wings and a spread tail) while carrying nest material in its bill. |
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April 11 - Another visit by an Eastern Bluebird. It is not known whether this bird has a mate. Non-paired migrants will establish territories in the breeding grounds and form pairs usually within a week. |
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April 10 - A male Eastern Bluebird peers upward towards the camera. In order to establish a territory, this male will begin singing loudly and defend the area against other bluebirds. |
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April 7- The remaining three eggs were fostered out to two nearby Carolina Chickadee nests. Please note, federal law protects native birds, their eggs, and nests from being tampered with. Only in extreme situations (such as this one) and by experienced nest box monitors should such action be taken. |
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April 7- By the time the nest box monitor arrived at the box, a Yellow Rat Snake had bypassed the predator guard and within two minutes of the bottom photo, had consumed three of the six eggs. Yellow Rat Snakes are very fond of bird eggs. With their superb climbing ability and their use of a forked tongue to detect odors, this snake can take a heavy toll on birds during nesting season. Luckily, the female was unharmed and will, presumably, try to renest. |
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April 6 - A nice shot of all six eggs, neatly arranged in the nest. |
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April 5 - A male Eastern Bluebird is seen perched on the entrance hole. |
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April 5 - At 4.5 inches in length, the Carolina Chickadee is the smallest of the North American chickadees. Here, the female is seen beside her clutch. |
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April 4 - Three eggs are visible, and two are probably hidden beneath the nesting material. |
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April 3 - The Carolina Chickadee is the chickadee of the Southeast. It is similar in appearance to its northern counterpart, the Black-capped Chickadee. These two species often produce hybrid young when they intermingle and mate. |
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April 2 - It looks like there is only one egg visible in the nest. It is possible that there are two more that are hidden. Eggs are smooth and white with brown spots concentrated at one end. |
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April 1 - During egg laying the female covers the eggs with nesting material when she leaves the nest. Often people monitoring nest boxes will report that no eggs were seen when actually, they are hidden under the nesting material. |
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March 31 - It appears that the first egg has been laid (it’s just below the female). Females lay one egg every day and usually have between 5 and 8 eggs. |
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March 29 - One day later a Carolina Chickadee is seen building a nest. Carolina Chickadees prefer to excavate their own nest cavities in old trees or snags and are only rarely seen using nest boxes. |
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March 28 - The nest box is layered with nesting material brought in by a female Carolina Chickadee. The base of the nest is made of moss and lined with fine grass and feathers, but no birds in sight. |