Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Happy Home in the Snag!
I was SO thrilled to see a chestnut-backed chickadee building a nest in the snag we left standing for this very purpose!
The cavity is under the highest bare branch near the top of the tree.
This mama was singing while busily preparing the inside for nesting.
We left the snag standing a few years ago at the suggestion of an arborist. We hired him to take down the dying Hemlock, but he encouraged us to leave the trunk and a few branches available for wildlife.
We’re so glad we did!
We’ve had owls and woodpeckers use it – see that here – but this is the first tiny nest building we’ve seen. I hope the chickadees are very happy in their new home. 🙂
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
So great to see!
I was so happy to see them nesting! It validated our decision to leave the snag standing (even when the neighbors thought it was an eyesore!)
Great to see it being used, Susanne. We have Blue Tits nesting in the nest box on the Oak tree at the back, and when I brush Ollie’s moulting fur in the garden, I leave it on the grass for the birds to take as nest material.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks, Pete! I was thrilled to see the chickadees using the snag. I assume the hole was drilled out by the woodpeckers. What a great idea to leave Ollie’s fur for the birds! I’m expecting to see wrens use the nesting boxes soon. We had many families last year.
It will be fun to watch the progress and see the little ones learning to fly.
Yes, it will. It’s out of the way so hopefully they’ll be safe. Last year I had chickadees in a nesting box, but this is the first year I’ve seen them use the snag.
We have several trees like that in the common ground – the conservation officer suggested we leave them and now we have lots of owls and hawks too!
Wonderful! Snags are important to wildlife!
What a pretty little bird!
Thank you! I loved watching it prepare the nest!
I love the images. We don’t have that variety here, just the black capped. Right now a wren is nesting in the kayak. I guess we won’t take it out any time soon.
Thank you! I expect some wrens to be moving into the nesting boxes soon.
I love Chickadees 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Your chickadee is so cute!
So cute and so busy! 😊
I can’t decide if I love your bird photos even more than the flower photos. Or the mountain photos. Moon and clouds photos. Anything and everything RED. Oh heck I just love them all. But I am so envious as here (Willamette Valley, Oregon) not seeing this type of chickadee, only the tiny black cap ones. The bird book says we should have them. Maybe I need to look closer as I’m fairly new to birding. Maybe better binocs.
Thanks so much for your lovely comment! I do love birds and was SO happy to see this little chickadee nesting in the snag! I usually hear them before I see them, and this one was singing while building the nest! 🙂
Oh how wonderful that you did that! I’m sure the chickadee is thankful! He’s darling!
Thank you! We’re so happy to see the chickadees using it to nest! I saw another one in a different hole today!
Awww- I’m happy to hear that!