Healthy Eating In The Morning Is The Best Prescription

This morning I decided to make scrambled eggs with a medley of yummy ingredients to start the day off just right. First 3 cups of coffee to get started, while my husband makes Tiramisu for our Christmas Eve gathering at our good friends house. Where we eat, eat, eat and drink wine, sit by the fire and watch music videos. It’s a great, great time with much laughter through out the house.

So with that said, I would like to share with all of my followers, friends and new followers my simple recipe that will delight your taste buds in the morning, while giving you great energy to prepare for the evening event you all are going to enjoy.

Be safe, laugh much, hug the ones you love and most of all have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday and a prosperous New Year.

Now this breakfast was for the two of us, so you can double it if there’s more than that.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH VEGGIE MEDLEY:

6 eggs (beat thoroughly) salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash (salt free) seasoning blend. Keep this separate in a bowl to cook after your veggies are al dente.

In a large fry pan that’s hot add:  Cook over medium flame, 2 tbs. butter, drizzle extra virgin olive oil about 1/4 cup or less,  3 large brussel sprouts cut in half, 6 baby bella mushrooms, 20 grape tomatoes, 2 cloves garlic chopped, fresh rosemary leaves chopped, salt & pepper to taste. Stir for 3 minutes. Listen for your tomatoes they will start to pop, that’s a good sign to turn off the flame. Don’t over cook your veggies, that’s the worst thing you can do to lose all that great flavor. Turn off the flame, cover with lid, then set aside while you cook your eggs.

I normally cook my eggs in extra virgin olive oil. You may do it however you like, but this is a healthier way. Drizzle olive oil in hot pan then poor your eggs mixture in where you see the oil is all to the sides of your eggs. While they cook, take your spatula and push the cooked eggs up to let the raw eggs fall around the cooked eggs (being careful not to burn your masterpiece). Once the you start to see that most of your eggs are done, turn your flame off, let cook just slightly to make sure it’s not undercooked. Serve as shown here.

Thank you for following.

Michele Orsini

Also, you can look for my book that I was lucky enough to get asked to do of Handmade Birdhouses and Bird Feeders

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I’ve lived here in the small community of Forest Falls for ten years now and still love it. I come from a place that was always so hot in the summer, that if you didn’t have a swimming pool to dive into, your air conditioning was on 24-7. Now that’s an electric bill I’m glad to do without.

Those Crazy Stellar Blue Jays

Grey Squirrel Lurking From Pine Tree

Now, I can’t say mountain living is easy, but the saying is; “There’s a Price for Paradise”. The price you ask? Well, the price in the winter is when you need to stack wood, cut wood and burn wood for warmth. Sometimes it’s so cold it runs through your body like a freight train. But, that’s why you prepare for winter. You can always go the easy route and have central heating. But why do that, when the ambiance of the other is so much a better alternative? Sitting by a fire, bundled up next to your loved one with a glass of wine or a nice cup of hot coffee (hot chocolate will do) is the best way to go(in my opinion).

I see this out of my kitchen window while doing the dishes.

Then there is shovelling the snow. Now I’m not talking about 10 feet of snow. We’ll leave that for back east where the snowfall is often and long. I’m talking snow that falls often to sometimes not at all, depending on how the weather in California is that year. Get a good shovel, warm gloves, nice soft cozy hat and you’ll get the best darn workout that any gym can give you. Besides the fact it cost a pretty penny to join a gym and nothing to but the cost of a shovel for your winter mountain workout.

It’s uplifting when I wake each morning every day and see this.

What makes living in the mountains, paradise? It is looking out my window at that majestic mountain with white all on top. It’s when the snow first falls and nothing has touched the ground to disturb that blissful beauty of white. The trees are show bits of green out from under the snow that sits lightly on top of each branch andpine needle. The air is fresh, clean to breath and smells of cedar and pine.

Soon mountain living becomes alive in spring with wild flowers, birds nesting, bears wondering about, squirrels chasing each other, while the chipmunks call out to each other with a loud piercing call.  In the view from my window, there are bandits (raccoons) that come to peek in at me as I peek at them, deer grazing on the tall grasses. Paradise, all wrapped up in the mountains.

These types of flowers bring in many species of Finch birds. They eat the seeds and leaves

Summer in the mountains is best of all. With cool breezes chiming through the tall cedars, warm nights are spent sitting around the fire telling stories of funny things that have happened in the winter. Having your friends over to enjoy the great view on the deck while grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. Going on long walks with your walking buddies to keep in shape and exercise your lungs, keeping them healthy and strong. That’s what makes summer in the mountains, paradise.

A flowing fountain is perfect pleasures for garden birds.

Yes…I feel it is paradise and a God given pleasure to be able to live where every day that you step outside you just gasp at how beautiful it really is. I am (we are) lucky to have found a place where I (we) can soak in, savour and appreciate all that nature has to offer.

“Wait! That’s not a bird”. Photo by Michele Orsini

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Eating healthy starts the day right

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A great way to stay healthy

1 Cup Brown Rice Medley, 2 Cups Water, 1/4 Cup Dried Blueberries,  2 Tbsp. Butter, Salt (to taste), 1 Tsp. Sugar, 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 6-8 Dried Morel Mushrooms (find on line)

Place ingredients in rice cooker all at once. Turn on rice cooker (if you have no rice cooker follow directions on rice package) Rice takes about 20 minutes, meanwhile start your sauce.

Orange Sauce: 1 11oz can Mandarin Oranges, 20 Large Fresh Basil Leaves, 10 Fresh Mint Leaves, 1/4 Cup Fresh Italian Parsley, 1 Tsp. Sugar, 2 Tsp. Sour Cream- Puree in blender. Pour in small sauce pan cook over low flame. Bring to light boil add 2 tsp. Wondra to thicken sauce. Keep stirring to slightly thicken. Taste…salt if necessary. Keep warm. This takes just a few minutes. Always taste what your cooking before you serve.

1 lb. Albacore Tuna – Cut in half – Wipe excess water off with paper towel – Salt & Pepper each side.  Once your rice is almost ready start your fish in skillet with 2 Tbsp. butter, drizzle extra virgin olive oil in pan, let butter melt and start to foam. Place fish in skillet. Hear the sizzle? That’s perfect. Cook each side of fish 3 minutes (depending on thickness of  fish).Fish cooks really fast, so don’t over cook. Remove fish let rest for 2 minutes.  Rice should be done. Take your green Mandarin sauce pour a few spoonfuls on plate. Drop a large scoop of rice in middle. Place fish on top of rice, drizzle a little more green Mandarin sauce on top. Eat! Healthy food for your tummy.

Most of my ingredients I get at Trader Joes. If you don’t have this super market, most markets will have it with exception of the Morel mushrooms. My source for Morel mushrooms is linked in yellow at top of page. They are a wonderful company that I’ve been getting my dried Morels from. If you’ve never had a Morel, you’re missing out. If you have questions, please feel free to email me at mbirdhouses@verizon.net

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She’s almost done filling the pool. Me first!

Some people will put up two high poles from one end of the yard to the other, which are planted in the ground with concrete, with the wire attached at each end of pole in order to aid birds to perch and view the gardens below. Trees work really well for this, as well as creating shade for birdhouses to be hung from branches or attached to the tree trunk by birdhouses equipped with a back panel mount (which a few birds prefer over hanging).

Just remember, location, location, location when acquiring a place your birdhouse. If the sun hits the birdhouse for too long of a period of time, then it should be moved to a better location where the eggs or nestlings aren’t likely to cook at certain times of the day (like on a tree branch that’s a distance from the trunk of the tree to avoid unwanted predators).  Planting a steel hollow post in concrete is another option as you can attach some plumbing parts on the bottom of the birdhouse that will fit nicely inside the hollow steel post (aluminum fence post is perfect).

Honey! This is the one. Photo by Michele Orsini

Picking your unique birdhouse is the next step in giving birds a place to rear their young. Red is a color that birds tend to go to, I don’t know why, but that seems to be the case sometimes, but not always. I personally think they really don’t care what color, shape or sometimes the size, but red seems to be the one they look at first. But, so far, I haven’t seen a bird turn down a comfy house yet, because of color, shape or specs. Although, if it’s really big than they just might leave it all together or try to squeeze their nesting material up against the corner.

Removal of the nest after fledging is important to do each year. I always take mine down after the nesting season, revarnish, let dry completely, then place the birdhouse back in the same place. I also will add one or two other birdhouses that will be new to the neighborhood. This will give them plenty of time to investigate the new houses on the block. Plus, it will give others options to take occupancy.

You do have to worry about the chipmunks, mice, rats and other critters taking residency. With that said, make sure you clean out your birdhouse yearly to check for unwanted guests nesting materials. It’s like having your Mother-in-law staying on the couch for a long period of time (No offense Mom…lol) Plus they can leave unwanted mites and other parasites. Just saying.

A good solution for cleaning your birdhouse is a few drop of dawn dish liquid in a gallon of water. Just enough to make it a little soapy, but not so much that you need to rinse the birdhouse out. You don’t want to soak it, just sponge it out to get all the lovely poop out. Let dry completely with the side door open to increase drying time. Make sure your door still closes properly once dry. If not, sand it slightly, but it should shrink back to size. Now your birdhouses is ready for a new family, but most likely the same birds will come back each year to nest. I’ve had a set of Black Capped Chickadees in mine for two years straight now.

Inviting birds is quite easy to do if you truly want to watch their cute habits and the love they show to each other. They will soon feel comfortable with their surroundings and soon take residency.

In my garden I’ve placed a water fountain that continuously flows to keep it from going stagnate. Then each day I run water in it to fill, plus let it over flow to get fallen leaves out or other debris kept out of the water. As I do this, the birds sit in my apple tree thats next to it and watch me, patiently waiting for me to finish. Once I am done they jump in and bathe, drink and flutter about the water making it a fun ritual to watch. Having my water fountain brings many species of birds to my yard that are bright colored, sing like angels, feed each other and give me a time to drink my tea while I relax. It’s very rewarding.

A flowing fountain is perfect pleasures for garden birds.

My garden is also filled with high trees, along with low growing shrubs to give birds a chance to look over my garden, which has flowering bushes, climbing vines that bloom for the hummingbirds, sunflowers for the finches, grasses to find bugs in. It’s a flowering wonderland in spring, summer and fall.

These types of flowers bring in many species of Finch birds. They eat the seeds and leaves

Winters another issue for birds. Where I live there is snow and sometimes there is lots of it. This is when the birds need my help the most in providing plenty of food, so they will stick around instead of traveling further away from their normal habitat to find food. There are plenty of seeds out there that you can put out each day for your feathered friends that won’t cause a big mess or start an unwanted garden under the feeder. Roasted unsalted peanuts, shelled sunflower seeds or you can bake the bird seed. See my blog on this topic at http://www.thebirdhousebuilder.com/birds-and-bird-habitats/tips-for-tidy-seed-bird-feeders/

That’s all for now until the next blog. Please feel free to leave your questions below on the comment box. Thanks for reading….Michele Orsini,The Birdhouse Builder

website http://www.naturaluniquebirdhouses.com/Decorative-Bird-Houses_c_22.html Look for my book on Birdhouses & Bird Feeders for Garden Birds coming out in February 2013 on how to build birdhouses with step by step illustrations from CicoBooks, Ryland Peters & Small.

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Delightful Ahi Tuna dinner with tasty Okra, Morel Mushrooms, Couscous Medley that will please your taste buds.

2 Medium steaks of Ahi Ahi Tuna - You’ll want to get all your side dishes ready first before you cook your fish. Fish cooks fast, so don’t over cook. Let fish come to room temperature while preparing the side dish. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil both sides of fish, salt and pepper. Preheat bbq grill to 400*. When all your dishes are almost done grill tuna ahi on both side about 3 minutes each, leaving the middle slightly raw. Serve with following recipes. (Always read recipe through to ensure what you need and how long).

Orange Marmalade Sauce

Puree in blender:

1-11oz Can Mandarin Oranges (with juice)

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro (4 stems w/leaves)

¼ Tbsp Fresh Italian Parsley (2 stems w/leaves)

2 Mint Leaves

Pour into sauce pan, cook over medium flame, stir in:

2 Tsp Wondra (sauce thickener)

4 Tbsp Butter

When meal is completed drizzle this wonderful sauce over your fish, letting it drip onto couscous medley.

Couscous Medley with Blueberries & Cranberries

 In rice cooker or sauce pan:

¾ Cups Couscous Medley

1 ¾ Cups Water

¼ Cup of dried blueberries and cranberries (combined)

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Butter

Put all these ingredients in rice cooker. Takes about 20 minutes to cook in rice cooker, otherwise follow directions on couscous package for sauce pan. This will rest under Tuna.

Okra & Morel Mushrooms (side dish)

In cast iron skillet over medium flame drizzling pan with extra virgin olive oil cook:

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Clove Garlic–Chopped

14 Frozen Okra or you may use fresh if available

4 Large Morel Mushrooms (to hydrate soak in hot water. Reserve water for sauce)

1/8 tsp Roasted Garlic and Red Bell Pepper Seasoning

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Sprinkle of Wondra to thicken sauce

Place all ingredients into pan (except for water reserve from Morel mushrooms) cook until  garlic starts to brown, then add your morel water reserve and sprinkle Wondra to thicken sauce slightly. Cook until Okra becomes tender, but still slightly firm.

Time cooking just right to plate up as shown on photo above by scooping couscous on side of plate, placing fish directly on top, drizzle generous amount of orange sauce over. Take a pair of tongs to place each piece of okra on plate along with 2 mushrooms, spoon sauce from pan over top of vegetables. Garnish with sprig of mint.

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When constructing my birdhouses it would be great to know what type of birdhouse my followers prefer? Please, take a gander at my sight then pin it, post it, like it, and please do leave a constructive kind comment on this page to help my decision on what’s your favorite. Simply move your mouse over side box with several birdhouses and click. This will take you right to my website. Thanks for looking.

A. Wall Mounted Birdhouse

Beautiful birdhouse constucted with driftwood, accented with hand painted dragonflies. Photo by Michele Orsini

B. Hanging Birdhouse

C. Post Mount

This information will help me decide what types of birdhouses and their colors to focus on. Your help is greatly appreciated.  Comments are welcome with respect to feelings of others. Please be kind.

There are several colors to choose from. When painting over grey or brown primer with these oil based paints, it gives a great rustic effect. Without primer undercoat the colors are true to their cap as shown here.

These birdhouses were made special for center pieces at an 80th Birthday bash. They were embellished with silk butterflies on center of each table.

I’ve recently been hosting parties with my birdhouses used as the center piece (pictured above). One party is using different types and styles of birdhouses on tables, such as the birdhouse (pictured below) embellished with recycled wine corks. When guest arrive and the corks start flying off the bottles, they simply push them through the entrance hole to store and save. This way the corks aren’t just lying around, but being recycled for crafts or other uses. What a nifty idea, plus the birdhouse can be used later for our feathered friends if you wish to do so or simply display with your favorite collection on wine in the cellar or cabinet. Great as a shelf sitter too!

Making a great statement for the party as the guest push their corks through the birdhouse’s entrance hole to store. Birdhouse Storage Bird Box . Photo by Michele Orsini

For the baby shower we used birdhouses for the center piece, then gathered pine cones, tucked a little bit of raffia around, as well as on top of the birdhouse’s hook with card attached. Part of the funds collected were set aside for Mom to be to get what other items she needed. Great idea for parties too! Photo by Michele Orsini

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Tender Moments – Photo by Michele Orsini

If you’ve never owned a birdhouse, or experienced a bird nesting in one of your birdhouses, you’ll soon be wishing you had one of your own unique birdhouses to sit and enjoy birds in your garden.

It is a known fact that watching nature is one of the most relaxing, meditating aspects to calm the mind. Birds have calmed human minds for as long as I can remember. Going for a walk and hearing

Bird in Flight – After feeding its young – Photo by Michele Orsini

birds in the background is quite essential for relaxation. Bird songs are often used in recordings of meditation for relaxation sessions. Sometimes the sight of a bird can lift your spirits by sitting and watching these feathered creatures fuss about a birdhouse tending to their family. Sometimes, the song of a bird can calm your mind. If ever you’re feeling down and out, take a stroll into the woods so you can hear the sound of the chickadee calling out “chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee” and other songs that they sing while courting will brighten up your day. Even if you don’t recognize that it’s a chickadee calling, maybe you appreciate the sound and feel a little better.

I’ve had so many of my customers tell me that they have birds nesting in their birdhouses. They are so excited about having tenants in their house they call me to take pictures. Now I have several shots of chickadees flying in and out of one of my birdhouses feeding their fledglings.  I can definitely say that my birdhouses are “Bird Approved”. “The Proof is in The Pudding”.

Okay kids, dinner is on its way. Photo by Michele Orsini

As you can see here, either the male or female bird is waiting to make sure the coast is clear, then leaping into the birdhouse door, disappearing into the dark hole. Within seconds, they’re both out again on a journey of constant forgoing to find what we call mosquito eaters. It’s so enjoyable to see them flying in and out to feed the hungry mouths of their little brood. This feeding frenzy goes on for hours. Can you imagine the grocery bill?

Making sure the coast is clear. Photo by Michele Orsini

All the birdhouses I’ve hung in my garden have birds with families in them. Some families have come back year after year to the same birdhouse to start their newest family. Birds are more likely to return to a cleaned out birdhouse, since rodents, feather mites and parasites may have taken up residence in the old nest, therefore making it unwelcoming to the returning birds. Cleaning of birdhouses should be done once a year at a minimum. The best time would be after the birds have finished breeding and deserted the nest. The old nesting material should be removed and the house scrubbed with a solution of 2 tsp Palmolive dish soap to 1 gallon of water. (NOTE: You may use 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, but it could cause damage to the exterior of the house and weaken the wood’s integrity. Gloves are highly recommended). The inside part should be wiped well and be allowed to dry completely before closing up. Inspect your birdhouse to make sure that the hardware is still firmly in place and the panels are not falling apart. Before replacing your birdhouse to its ideal location, make sure it is dry and re-varnished on the exterior with Helmsman’s Exterior Varnish. It is important to plug the bird hole before varnishing to ensure the natural interior is preserved.

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As I had said before in my blog of the Red Breasted Robin, that I would keep you updated on her status of her loose eggs.

Who can resist that face? Photo by Michele Orsini

As you recall from the last blog she had laid them on two different ledges. Then our good friend Bob put them in her nest in hopes it would save the eggs. We all worried that touching of the eggs would cause her to abandon them. That was not the case here. I am glad that Bob took the

If you look close you can see the beaks. Photo by Michele Orsini

initiative to gently put them in the nest where they would be more apt to not fall off the ledge and in hopes she would still incubate them.

I am happy to announce that our Robin has brought joy to all of us with what I believe is to be two hatchlings, maybe three. I’ve taken some photographs of the nest, but it is so deep that the little guys duck down where I can’t quite get the shot. I will not disturb the nest, due to the fact that it may disrupt the circle of life which we all want to see to the end.

Now as I watched her feeding her little ones I almost lost my lunch when she picked up their fecal matter and swallowed it. Yep, down the hatch it went like it was a yummy chocolate bar. Gross!  What we don’t do for our kids. Sorry didn’t take her picture due to the disturbing contents of what she was eating.

I managed to see her come back in time enough to watch her feed the hatchlings again. Here it looks as though there are two yellow beaks peeking out with mouths wide open. With worm in beak she waits for a few seconds. Almost as if she is looking for whom she had fed last. It’s not like they have different color hair or something. Once she calls out to a certain hatchling the baby lifts its head, elongating its neck to take what she has to offer. Then she thrust that giant worm down the hatch without even chewing it up. Oh my goodness!!! That was cool to watch.

Feeding frenzie! Give me that worm Mom. Photo by Michele Orsini

Their eyes are not even open yet. Hatchlings Feeding Time. Photo by Michele Orsini

She leaves her nest often to go search for earth worms to feed to the hatchlings. Usually she is gone no more than 5 to 10 minutes at a time. Once the hatchlings have been fed, she looks over the nest to see if there is fecal matter that needs to be removed.

She snuggles herself down to keep hatchlings warm. Photo by Michele Orsini

After that she then wiggles herself down over the hatchlings keeping them at a comfortable state. This process will go on for several days until the hatchlings have grown their down feathers. Once the feathers have come in they are then called nestlings.

I will follow up on these little guys soon. Thanks for reading

Please! Take a gander at this great video where you can see the feeding of nestlings that I found on you tube. Thank you, thank you for sharing this wonderful video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZCgxtcKwG4 This is a link to a Robin feeding her young. This person did a great job of video taping the feeding of hatchlings.

Special thanks to Bob for putting the Robin eggs in her nest where she could finally settle down to sit and incubate. My hat goes off to you.

OLDER BLOG STARTS HERE

For the first time today I watched a bird as she laid her eggs in a precarious place.

On Saturday, May 26, a Red Breasted Robin built a nest up in the rafters of our local little gift shop downtown. While making this nest it was obvious that the Robin was distracted and frustrated by the fact there was so much human traffic going in and out of the store. Once that she had finished building her nest, she then tried to make another one a few rafters down.  There was debris scattered on two other rafters where she attempted to build another nest, but had failed. Much of the nesting material had fallen on the porch.  I’m guessing she was trying to put another nest a little further down from the walkway of the stores entrance to feel safe away from humans.

“Pushing Her Egg Out Was Not The Problem” The nest would have been a good spot. Photo by Michele Orsini

The Robin was ready to pop her eggs out right then and there!  Much to our surprise, she just plopped herself down and popped it out right there on the ledge.  Not in her nest, but on the ledge. What an amazing sight to see, but disturbing at the same time. As we kept watching her we noticed she had laid another egg on the rafter next to her original nest which was one more rafter down. Now she had two eggs on the ledge with no nest to keep it warm.

What was she thinking?! How was she going to sit on two different eggs in two different spots?

Such a beautiful job on the nest too. Why she didn’t use it is a mystery. Photo By Michele Orsini

Once the Robin flew the coop, we moved her eggs into her nest in hopes that she would eventually come and sit on them all in one spot.  Although when we lifted the eggs to place in nest they were extremely cold. We later found out that the mother bird doesn’t start sitting on her eggs until she has laid a full clutch, usually consisting of four beautiful blue eggs.  I’m in hopes that our attempts to transfer the little blue eggs weren’t in vain and will hatch. From all the information that was read on Red Breasted Robins we are sure to see little babies in her nest within 2 weeks.

Sitting on the eggs after all this commotion. Photo By Michele Orsini

Sunday morning when we opened the store we noticed the Robin had not only come back, but laid another egg on the ledge, not in her nest. When she left we moved it with the other eggs she was sitting on. (This bird’s confused). As the day progressed she came and sat on the eggs in the nest. Yeah!

This whole event took place over Memorial weekend.

It is now been sixteen days since the Red Breasted Robin has laid her eggs. She has been a very good Mother sitting on her eggs constantly. It looks as though one egg has been hatched, but hard to tell due to the fact that she is still sitting on the nest. She stands up periodically as if she is feeding, but no sign of a hatclings with head up and open mouths. Waiting patiently for her to get hungry leaving the nest so I can check out on what’s going on.

This is what I have read on Robin’s:

It’s the female Robin’s job to do most of the incubation time, keeping the eggs at the right temperature. She rarely leaves the nest more than 5 to 10 minutes at a time to feed herself. She must turn the eggs periodically to prevent the baby birds from sticking to the interior walls of the egg and keeping the eggs at an even temperature. Males only occasionally sit on the eggs, but they hang out in the territory throughout the daylight hours and respond immediately if the female gives a call of alarm. A male may even bring food to feed his mate, but usually she leaves the nest to feed herself.

Find more information on Robin’s here at “The Story on Robin Eggs”.

She is a beautiful bird. Photo by Michele Orsini

As an avid bird watcher I want to say that if you’re having problems where a bird is trying to build a nest. Let her do her job just this one time. Once the fledglings have left proceed with moving the nest and put something there to obstruct the spot of preference.  Wear gloves while moving the nest is highly recommended for sanitary reasons.  Discard the nest or place outdoors where children won’t be tempted to play with it.

Find more information on the Red Breasted Robin at  A Robin’s Eggs

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Birds in My Backyard:

Spring time is amazing for watching these little feathered creatures the Black Capped Chickadee or Mountain Chickadee searching for the perfect place to start a family.  I watched these two little chickadee birds investigating my backyard birdhouses that I’ve mounted on the oak tree. I’m able to view all the activity from my kitchen window, while being able to get some fantastic shots of their behavior.

“Which One Should I Choose?”

First the chickadees fly from one house to the next, just like we would if looking for Real Estate property. They go inside each birdhouseseveral times while singing their off key song

“This One is Fully Furnished!”

chick-a-dee-dee-dee to let their mate know that they’ve found a home that seems suitable. Now these two chickadee birds nested in the house on the right the year before, so the nest was still there. Of course! What would you do if you were looking and found that the house was fully furnished where nothing had to be done? Why create more work for yourself?

Mr. and Mrs. Chickadee started on their family right away, courting each other around the forest, fluttering branch to branch.  Periodically Mr. Chickadee would enter into the birdhouse poking his head out making a sweet shrill of a sound, while turning his head from side to side as if to do a dance.  Mr. Chickadee is now claiming this birdhouse as his territory for his new family with long time wife Mrs. Chickadee.

“Chick-A-Dee-Dee-Dee-Dee-Dee” Photo by Michele Orsini

It is a sweet courtship between the two chickadees. Tenderness is quite noticeable between the two of them. The male chickadee is in constant motion searching for food to feed to his mate, while the female sits patiently on her eggs. It’s a classic Father Knows Best scene of being a good provider.

“Love is Knowing You’re There When I Need You”. Photo by MicheleOrsini

NOTE: Chickadees Mate for Life. Unfortunately their life span is 2-1/2 years

Chickadees generally have one brood per season and nest in the hollowed out areas of rotted trees, or in natural cavities, and nesting boxes.Both the male and female create the nest by excavating a cavity and filling it with grass, hair, plant down, moss, and feathers. Females lay 6-8 brown-speckled white eggs and will brood nestlings up to 12 days after hatching, while gradually decreasing her amount of time with them. The male does most of the feeding until the female is done brooding, after which time they begin to share the feeding responsibility. Juvenile chickadees will generally fledge within 16 days but continue to be fed by parents for 2 to 4 weeks. (Article from Dr. Foster and Smith)

“I Sing My Song For You” Photo by Michele Orsini

Their pleasant disposition and confident demeanor toward humans make them a backyard favorite in most yards. In fact, wearing a red coat while filling your feeders in the winter often provides an open invitation for chickadees to feed right from your hand. (According to Dr. Foster and Smith) So with that said I will try this and get back with my results. It would thrill me if my readers would do the same and let me know.

This is an article I truely enjoyed from “Tails of Birding” that I would love to share with my readers.

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