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Originally Posted by Diandra
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I live in Western Connecticut.
This year we just had a chickadee family make a nest in one of our birdhouses.
The babies were just born a couple days ago and this morning we found total
devastation. The babies are gone but one of the parents was killed and ripped apart and bird wings left on our deck and the nest ripped apart and dumped on our deck as well.
I cried like a baby when I found this lovely little family destroyed. We had so been enjoying watching them painstakingly make their nest and the chirping of the new babies and we were waiting for them to grow and leave the nest. I kept leaving cat hair on the deck because I read many birds use hair to make nests and hair was mixed in with the twig nest.
Does anyone know what could have done this. I found that maybe house sparrows could do this.
Any experiences?
Thanks, Diandra
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Chickadees are cavity builders. This narrows down the culprit.
Little red squirrels are common nest destroyers.
But in general, Blue Jays, Crows, squirrels, rodents (chipmunks and rats), weasels,
snakes, cats, hawks, are others that get into nests. Some chickadees may be in open areas where larger predators can get at them.
The leaving of the wings on your property, suggests a cat.
UpNorth, we have seen crows raid nests and throw the babies out..we watched across the the bay with binos when this happened in several trees within our range one day.
The popular Phoebe Allens hummingbird cam when it was up for several years, had a crow attack.
There are sources of natural alpaca hair, and natural cotton on Ebay affordably, which would not have a cat scent on the fibers. Just search "nesting materials" into their search.
I have the new book by Julie Zickefooose which is very interesting and contains many wonderful drawings and watercolors of baby birds. Here is my post about it:
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She is a licensed bird rescuer and explains many issues with nesting and behavior, she has witnessed and enabled.
I agree it is a sad thing you have experienced...but it is common with nesting birds.
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All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.-- Galileo Galilei
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Weezie looking at petunias 8.25.2017
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