I looked out my bedroom window yesterday just in time to see a chickadee going into a bird house I thought was empty. I guess I wasn't watching it as close as I thought since I saw 2 chickadee's, both with little green caterpillars in their mouths, going in and out. Must have babies!! I immediately cut down a branch that was blocking my view and will now watch better for the babies to appear. We're just tickled to death to have them as boarders... <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Congratulations Bayberry! Looks like it's time for a baby shower <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> and it gives new hope to the rest of us.

That's so great!! Can you get a picture of a parent near the house? Maybe it'd give us a good idea of what kind of house they like <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Well, I don't have a digital camera or a scanner, and I'd need a month to figure out how to do it... <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> ...but I'll describe the house to you. I bought it as a Wren House, even though I've never had a wren in my yard ( <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> )...so it's a small house with a small hole. I hung it from a wire in my crab apple tree, which is providing them with plenty of those little green caterpillars. The tree is always loaded with them. I also see the chickadees at the suet feeder, then making a trip back to the house. Does anyone know how long they feed the babies in the nest before bringing them out??

OK, little wren house, I'll have to get one! Most of my houses are a bit bigger than that. I bet they do love the easy meals <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I don't know how long they nest them, maybe 3-4 weeks?

I think my little chickadee family is about to come out of the box...Yesterday, I saw one obvious baby, fluttering around the tree branches, and one more sticking his head out the hole. Mom was encouraging the one to fly by calling him and making short flights between the branches. Then, I had to leave for the day <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> ...I watched for a bit this morning and saw mom bringing food into the house, so I guess they aren't all out. Then...I had to go to work <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> ...having a job is really interfering with whats really important... <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> I wonder what my boss would say if I called in sick to watch baby chickadees???

Call in sick! Get a webcam! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I have a webcam but it is only good for short distances. It doesn't work well with Windows XP either so I don't have it pointed at my desk feeder right now. I have to get a new one.

It sounds like great fun to watch <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hi Lisa...I think I have to definitely take a "computers for total-dummies" class. I'm pretty proud of myself for getting this far, since the most modern thing of my generation was an electric typewriter. Managing something like a digital camera or web-cam seems way over my head. My computer is ancient, compared to most, one my boss put together for me to learn on, for $100. And I've learned alot, for someone who never sat at one before a year ago. So now I'm encouraged to move on to bigger and better things...and a web-cam certainly sparks my interest.

I guess my chickadee family has all moved out. I've been so busy with softball season, I haven't had the time to watch like I wanted.. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> ...I wonder if they'll lay a second clutch this season?? I saw house sparrows checking out the now-empty house, but I think the hole is too small for them. Do goldfinches nest in a house, or do they built nests in trees??

I'm sure even goldfinches would take a nest that was protected and comfy for them, even if it was on a house. I guess you'll see who moves in!

Digital Cameras are REALLY REALLY easy. They're not complicated at all. I'm in fact buying a new one that uses a memory stick so I can take more pictures at once, but if you get a cheap one that takes a floppy it's SO easy. Just point at the thing you want to take a picture of. It will auto focus. Press the button. It saves the picture on your floppy disk! Now you stick the floppy disk in your computer and you an email it to people. No work at all. It's far easier than dealing with film where you have to bring the film to be processed (once you fill the whole roll up!) then go get it again and then do things with the prints.

Hi Lisa...thanks for the encouragement. My friend is upgrading to a new computer and is giving me her tower, which is much newer than mine. My little 1 gig hard drive doesn't let me save alot of things. A digital camera will be my next investment, for sure. Sometimes it takes me forever to use up a film and, like you say, then theres the hassle of storing the pics.

I've been seeing chickadee babies and a mom around the feeders alot. She's still feeding them some, but definitely trying to teach them to do it themselves. I'm assuming they're the same ones from the house. They go on the suet feeder themselves, but mom still cracks open the sunflower seed and feeds it to them. They're so cute to watch, all fluffed up and fluttery. Much cuter than the loud and obnoxious grackle and starling babies...boy, no missing them when they come around. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

You might want to get the sunflower seed hearts (unshelled) for a short while, to help the little ones get started, I like to get those because it means there's no shell mess around the feeders. It seems more expensive, but really since you're not throwing away 75% of the content, I think it ends up being cheaper ...

Yes, the babies are SO cute, tho I have to say my little grackle babies, hopping around in the yard and being scared of the chipmunks, are pretty cute too <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />