2002 Nest Box Cam
Carolina Chickadee

This year a pair of chickadees began nesting earlier than the house wrens and raised a successful brood with wrens later nesting in a gourd just 8' away from their nest box, even before the chickadee eggs had hatched. 8 wren gourds were placed in the pines and four were used so far with no nestboxes raided by wrens. However, wrens have been seen inspecting empty boxes placed in the pines for the great crested flycatchers. Infrared video in the nestbox was recorded 24 hours each day in case the wrens, chipmunk, or other predator should enter the box, but the nesting was uneventful.

While the unusually cold windy weather this spring took a toll on the barn swallows' first broods, it didn't bother the chickadees one bit. I wouldn't be surprised if the female chickadee actually gained weight during this period. Both adults continually brought mouthfuls of tent caterpillars and other insects to the nestlings during the worst weather. Whenever the stuffed nestlings would not gape, the adults would finally swallow the prey themselves. All five nestlings fledged with no problems.

The following still photos are taken from a single frame of video from the vhs tapes. This process results in a substantial loss of quality compared to the original camera image and vhs tape.


2022 update - Return of the barn owls
2021 Chimney Swift tower success!!!
2020 Barn Swallow nesting
Barn swallow nest cups
2019 Barn Swallows and Black Rat Snakes

2018 - The Barnyard Balance of Nature Goes Awry
Black rat snakes vs barn swallows, Northern flickers, kestrels and others

2018 Purple Martin preference for clam shells
2017 - Return of the Monarchs!
2017 Purple Martin prey photos
2010 - 2016 Northern flicker nestings
2014 house wren gourd use
2014 - A dramatic loss of many types of insects
2019-2020 Purple Martin nesting
2014 barn owl nesting - prey study
A new barn swallow shelter for 2013
2010 barn owl nesting
2010 Update
2016-2017 Kestrel nestings
Starling traps
Using blinds in the home habitat
Providing perches for birds
Providing snags for wildlife
The ugly young maple
2001 - 2013 nest cams
Use of tomato cages as hunting perches by insectivorous song birds
Vultures, beetles and the resurrection of life

Species of interest in our yard - photos and articles
barn owl American kestrel purple martin barn swallow Eastern bluebird
tufted titmouse Eastern phoebe yellow shafted flicker tree swallow chimney swift
house wren big brown bat Carolina wren brown thrasher catbird
cedar waxwing Northern mockingbird
Yellow warbler Acadian flycatcher

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© 2002 - 2010, American Artifacts and Richard Van Vleck, Taneytown, Maryland.