Change of Plans and Unexpected Surprises!

Because of the spread of COVID-19, students have left campus for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, Maya and Ellunde are no longer on campus...but don't worry! They are working hard to analyze data from afar. Specifically, they are quantifying the temperature differences between nest boxes across campus--valuable information to help us understand the range of temperatures to which Brown-headed Nuthatches are exposed during their breeding season!

But onto the exciting stuff...

Unfortunately, no Brown-headed Nuthatches have selected our boxes for nesting so far....but CHICKADEES HAVE! Carolina Chickadees are birds native to the eastern half of the United States, as far north east as Pennsylvania and as far south west as south central Texas.

They began building their nest about two weeks ago. They started with a 5 inch layer of moss with a distinct indentation in the center (below).

The next step in Chickadee nest building is to add fur (below). This fur usually comes from the bodies of LIVING mammals, such as domestic dogs who are relaxing outdoors.

Finally, once the nest was soft and fully prepared, they laid 6 beautiful, tiny eggs (below).

After finding the eggs, we immediately placed a camera into a pre-carved hole we cut into our nest boxes (which were crafted by Atlanta Audubon!).

AND NOW WE HAVE FOOTAGE FROM THE FIRST DAY OF RECORDING!

Take a look: https://twitter.com/SaveNuthatches/status/1244773870458097665

We will continue posting videos as the mother incubates the eggs, and the chicks hatch, mature, and fledge (a process that takes about a month in its entirety). Stay tuned!