Chickadee Nest

We have two pairs of nesting Carolina Chickadees in our backyard. We know exactly where their nests are because they are using two of the nest boxes we put out for them a month ago. These birds typically nest in tree cavities, so they easily take to using nest boxes.


Chickadees will lay around 3-10 eggs. Our two nesting pairs have laid 6 and 5 eggs. Both nests are the in stage of "sitting on the nest"also known as the incubation period. The eggs should hatch in 11-14 days. As you can see the nest looks fluffy and comfortable. They build their nest with twigs and moss, then line the nest with fur. I think there are a few of my dog Ella's hairs in their as well!

To learn more about chickadees see this site: all about birds

To learn more about nest boxes see this site: birdhouse network

Spring Flowers

It is really starting to feel like spring here. The temperatures are pleasantly mild, the pollen is is unpleasantly high (for those of us with seasonal allergies), and the unexpected rains have made for some wonderful spring blooms.

Here is a round up of current blooms in the backyard:

This is a creeping phlox (stolonifera) that we recently planted. It is a great shade plant, and it is native!















The red bud tree blooms in the front yard:

We have a few dogwood trees in the back:

The dandelions are starting to peep through the leaf liter:

We have one azalea bush that surprised us with pink flowers. We are going plant more azalea bushes in the fall. There are a lot of azaleas that are native to this area that come in a variety of colors. To see a few check out this link and scroll down to the Rhododendron listings.



















The blueberries are also in bloom, we look forward to having some ripe berries to snack on a few weeks from now.