After about five unfruitful years of trying to get birds to nest in our yard, my wife and I were getting a bit disappointed. It seemed everyone we knew had birds nesting on their property, even if they didn't want them. Every garden shop we went to had sparrows nesting in their shrubs and finches in their hanging baskets. (Fortunately they were all thoughtful enough not to sell these plants until the families fledged.)
We've had houses suitable for chickadees, nuthatches, wrens, tree swallows and downy woodpeckers. We've provided a wide selection of seed, as well as natural food in the form of berry-producing trees and shrubs. We've provided bushes and shrubs for cover and nesting. And of course we've provided a birdbath for bathing and drinking as well as a small pond that many birds have taken great advantage of. We've had our hopes raised many times by swallows and chickadees inspecting different nest boxes each spring. We've even seen the chickadees removing the wood chips that I had placed in one box to entice them. This seemed like a sure sign that we would be seeing baby chickadees in a few weeks. Apparently they always found a better apartment elsewhere because they never took us up on our hospitality. We were getting so desperate we would have even rented to a pair of starlings.
This spring we went through all the usual rituals, only to have our hopes dashed again. Then, in late spring, something new happened. A bird we had only seen a couple of times during the winter showed up in our yard. After a few days it started showing some interest in one of our boxes. Could it be? Could a Tufted Titmouse be thinking about nesting in our yard?!!! ... NAHH!!!
After a couple more days a female showed up and they both could be seen examining the nest cavity. We were ecstatic, but we didn't want to get our hopes up yet. As the days went by their visits were quite erratic. Sometimes we wouldn't even see them for a couple of days. This wasn't very encouraging. Eventually, one Saturday afternoon while we were working in the flower garden, we noticed their activity was quite regular. And then it happened. We heard a bit of a commotion, and I looked up into the trees just in time to see the pair mating! I knew they had to be serious now.
Over the next week or so we watched as the pair brought nesting material to the box. Things were looking good now. But then the visits began to slow down again. Had they abandoned their nest building efforts? For a couple of days we really never saw them actually go into the box at all. Our spirits sunk. We were really starting to question our fitness as avian housing providers.
But wait! What's that?! Could it be? Yes!!! Now whenever we saw the birds go into the box we could hear the definite peepings of several tiny mouths. Sandy and I had finally become "parents" to a brood of baby Titmice! Oh happy day!
The parents' trips to the box were quite frequent now. In fact, it seemed every time we looked
there was a bird going in or coming out. We kept a watch on the box as best we could,
hoping to see the brood fledge. Unfortunately our busy schedule didn't match their biological clocks, and we missed the happy event. The whole family disappeared for some time after that, and we wondered if we would ever see our "foster children". After all we did fret quite a bit over the whole ordeal . But during the middle of July we were treated to daily shows at the feeders while the babies begged for food as the parents hurriedly peck open a sunflower seed. I was only able to actually count two chicks at a time, but feel there are at least three , judging from the sound coming from the trees. We'll be anxiously looking forward to next spring to see if our Titmice nest with us again.
Also this July we had a House Wren in our yard for the first time. What do think the chances are we might have two families next year?
Dan Marquis
IN SEARCH OF SEA PARROTS Searching for Puffins off the Maine coast. Nel Anctil
THE BIRDS OF KENYA Come along on a bird safari to East Africa. Evelyn White
GREBE IN A BASKET An amusing story about a Red-Necked Grebe. Louise Sylvester
ENCOUNTER WITH A HUMMER What happens when human and hummingbird meet? Jean Taber
RAMBO CHICKADEE A tenacious chickadee takes on all comers. Paticia Fish
FLORIDA FLING Take a stroll through Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Tom Hayward