In early spring TREC installed 20 new Tree Swallow nesting boxes on poles around the watershed. Nesting boxes were installed on poles rather than trees as a way to avoid unwanted guests such as Red Squirrels or Eastern Chipmunks.
As part of this project funded by the Wildlife Conservation Fund, we wanted to capture footage of the Tree Swallow nesting process, but a Chickadee decided to move into our nesting box instead! We were able to capture the nesting process from egg to nestling to full feathered Chickadee and condense the video so you can all watch too. Visit the resources page of our website, or use this link to few the video: Chickadee Video
Chickadees nest once a year between April and July laying anywhere between 1 and 13 eggs in the clutch but on average will lay around 6-7. The nest can take around 4 days to 2 weeks to construct depending on the location and materials available. The Chickadee will then lay one egg a day, typically in the morning. The eggs are white with brown dots and the incubation period takes about 12-13 days and then an additional 12-16 days between hatching for the chicks to leave the nest.
We loved having this adorable little family right outside our office!