Baby Chickadees Photo Journal - Page 7 - flyaway's Photos

Welcome to the popular Baby Chickadees photojournal, where you'll follow the amazing day-by-day growth and development of seven baby chickadees from the parents' nest building to the day the nestlings fledged into the wide world.

These Carolina Chickadees nested in one of my bluebird boxes in the spring of 2004.

I have other galleries for a wide variety of birds -- please visit them too!

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flyaway > May 18, Day 14:

The chicks are two weeks old today! The oldest ones will be ready to fledge almost any day now.

flyaway > May 18, Day 14:

Dad perches on a nearby branch preparing for another dive-bombing run. He does them repeatedly the entire time we're near the box -- it's not easy to take pictures when an angry chickadee keeps jarring your hand!

Mom never comes within 20 feet of us. She just sits there well out of reach scolding while Dad does the highly dangerous work. We're constantly amazed at the obvious willingness of this tiny one-third-of-an-ounce bird to die protecting his offspring.

flyaway > May 19, Day 15
The chicks hop around the box now, but huddle together as we approach. They're completely motionless when we open the box, but their eyes are bright with curiosity.

flyaway > May 19, Day 15
This is the youngest chick -- its tail is shorter than the others, giving it a length of only 2 7/8 inches. Most of them are more than 3 inches long by now.

flyaway > May 20, Day 16
The bright-eyed nestlings huddle silently while we are there. They are still a bit fuzzy, but look like real birds now. They'll be fledging very soon now.

flyaway > May 20, Day 16
The chicks are about 3¼ inches long now. Their bodies are full-sized, and their tails just need to grow a bit more for them to be full-length chickadees.

flyaway > May 20, Day 16
As I took a few pictures from the side, two of the chicks gradually raised their heads and turned to peer at me curiously.

flyaway > May 20, Day 16
Dad continues his dive-bombing. We take our photos as quickly as we can and leave.

flyaway > May 21, Day 17:

FLEDGING DAY

We heard peeping from a nearby tree as we approached, and when we got to the nest we found it empty. There are no signs of predation, so it appears that all seven chicks fledged successfully.

Mom and Dad were probably experienced parents, and they did a great job of raising their brood. They will continue to feed the fledglings for awhile until the chicks learn how to find food on their own.

Thank you for giving us the great privilege of watching you grow, little chickadees. Have a good life!

May 18, Day 14:

The chicks are two weeks old today! The oldest ones will be ready to fledge almost any day now.

> May 18, Day 14:

The chicks are two weeks old today! The oldest ones will be ready to fledge almost any day now.

May 18, Day 14:

The chicks are two weeks old today! The oldest ones will be ready to fledge almost any day now.

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Keywords: nest chickadees nestbox baby chickadees baby birds nestlings

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