What killed my Chickadee and babies?
 

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 :(

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.

Thank you. We had seen a little brown bird trying to get into the birdhouse and the mother chickadee ferociously darted at and attacked this little brown bird. It happened so fast that I couldn't see what kind of bird it was but last year, a wren had made a nest in this birdhouse.

It was a rather violent attack because almost the entire nest was ripped right out of the tiny hole in the birdhouse. The hole is no bigger than a quarter but I suppose a cat could have reached an arm into it.

I've learned my lesson, I am putting this birdhouse in a place that is less accessible than the railing on my deck. Honestly, I had put it as decoration, thinking it was too close to the house for a bird to use.

However, all the birds and animals you mentioned, aside from the rat,weasel and hawk have been in my yard this last week. We have had an inordinate amount of blue jays, squirrels and crows around for some odd reason. Even some lovely woodpeckers and warblers we have yet to identify.

Overall, a really beautiful spring in the Northeast.

Thanks for all the info Mrs D.

Oh, how awful. :(

can you get a trail camera to setup? if you can set it on video or 3 picture burst , if you get it with wifi you can send it to your computer or smart phone. good luck

Good idea. Maybe for next year. It's not in the budget for this year.
I appreciate your input.
D.

I think you have something there! Male wrens have been seen destroying other nests....

Here is a story about that:

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Doesn't explain the dead adult chickadee though.
I think wrens like to nest near humans because that reduces predators in general..but not from their own species!

birds
 

I am sorry about your birds it sounds like a cat