[Mnbird] 2022 Nesting Update #4: Cavity Dwellers Edition, Final Report, Dakota Co

[Miller Johnson]

Greetings Birders,

As the 2023 nesting season is already underway, I decided I should provide a final update on the cavity nesters around my home in 2022. I apologize for the length, but I’ll never have another year like this as we’ve lost multiple old aspens to the storms this past summer and winter. My observations since I last posted my Nesting Update 2022 #3 at the end of May 2022 are labeled as “NEW.” 

Red-bellied Woodpecker Nest #1:
03-18-2022 First observed a male hanging around a very dead oak tree with multiple old holes, just across a small clearing from their 2019 nests. Observed excavation on 03-19 and multiple copulations from 04-21 through 05-06. On 05-07 the pair was much quieter than usual, which is a noticeable difference for the drama-queens/kings of cavity nesters. I suspect egg-laying or incubation. By 05-10 the pair is swapping in/out of the nest regularly. Incubation has begun. By 05-22 the eggs have very recently hatched and the adults are taking small bits of food into the nest and remaining inside for a while after their delivery. 
NEW: Between 8:05 p.m. 06-16 and 8:45 a.m. on 06-17 two nestlings fledged with very pale red head markings suggesting one is a female and the other a male. The adults fed them in the woods near our house. 07-03 surprisingly, a third juvenile with no head markings (“Baldy”) showed up, also in the woods around our house. I thought it might be an interloper, but the adults fed it too. (Was this a late fledge? I wasn’t watching the nest hole. In 2019, two nestlings fledged approximately together and a third fledged three days later.) On 07-04 Baldy was back hanging out by the nest hole, looked in, and spent time nearby. The male fed it, but it seemed to be fed mostly by the female. Nesting successful.

NEW: Red-bellied Woodpecker Nest/Brood #2:
06-21-22 the adult male is back inside the same nest hole, looking out and calling. 06-24 the female finally starts visiting the old nest hole. (Meanwhile, the male is also spending time calling from the area around their 2022 nest hole. On 06-25 I finally caught him enlarging the Hairy Woodpecker’s 2022 nest hole; the female quickly came by and looked inside, but didn’t enter. It made me wonder if they were going to switch trees for their second brood, as they had in 2022. He later used it for roosting, and the female used the nearby 2021 Hairy Woodpecker nest hole for roosting.) 06-27 both male and female spend time inside the nest hole. 07-01 male and female are swapping places for long periods of time inside the nest hole. 07-04 Baldy, from first brood, was back hanging out by the nest hole, looked in, and spent time nearby. The female spent time inside the nest hole and feeding Baldy. There were also several “faux copulation” attempts near the nest, while Baldy was hanging out. 07-10 male takes a tiny bug into the nest hole. (On 07-11 the male repeatedly attacked the male fledgling from their first brood. The adult had continued to feed the juvenile male, while the juvenile female was foraging for herself. The adult male attacked the juvenile because it approached him for food. The juvenile tried again, and the adult attacked again. Finally, the adult just kept going after the juvenile even after it tried to escape. The battle went on for quite a while and covered a rather large area. The food train for the juvenile male is over, confirming that the second brood has hatched. 07-13 adult male attacks juvenile male while near our feeders. 07-14 adult male again and repeatedly attacks the juvenile in the feeder area. Adult male is so intent on attacking the juvenile that it almost flies into me as I watched them. After at least the fourth attack, the adult male continues on its way to the nest area.) Adults were attentive to their nestlings, delivering regular feedings. On 08-04 a nestling was leaning way out of the hole. It/they fledged between 3-8:00 p.m. There may have been two nestlings, based on poor looks at their heads in the nest hole. I don’t think there were three. As is usual, the fledglings from the second brood went off somewhere with the adults, not to be seen again. The adults eventually returned to our yard. Nesting successful.

Hairy Woodpecker Nest #1:
04-09-22 A hole I'd been keeping my eye on since last summer started to show some fresh wood around the edges. It was about 15 feet from the Hairy Woodpecker nest in 2021, so it was easy to check. On 04-29 I observed copulation. By 05-07 incubation had begun as the male and female repeatedly swapped places in the nest. By 05-22 the eggs hatched and the adults took small bits of food into the nest, remaining inside for a while after their delivery. 
NEW: 05-27 the adults are feeding quickly and periodically removing fecal sacs. The male is a nervous father, frequently calling and flying from perch to perch carrying food in its beak, while the female just gets the job done: take food in, bring fecal sacs out, repeat. By 06-04 as the female brought food to the hole, the nestlings (at least two) came up high enough to see their beaks. 06-12 a female nestling has her head out of the hole, looking up, down and around. Midday on 06-13 a female nestling started adding in the “winnow” call with its normal begging sounds. That means she is fledging very soon. By 06-15 10:35 a.m. the nestlings were gone. I believe there were at least two females. Nesting successful.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Nest #1:
NOTE: The female of this pair had a black cap with no red observed. According to the recent Loon article, this is an unusual marking. I wonder if she’ll be back this year.
04-19-2022 Heard sapsucker calls from near a cherry tree that they have been tapping since at least 2019, when I first found them nesting in our yard. On 04-21 I saw the male digging at an old hole in an aspen that was about 12-15 feet away from their 2021 nest-hole tree. Finally saw the female on 04-25; she has a striking black cap. Observed copulations from 05-10 through 05-16. On 05-13 the female seemed to be working on the entrance hole. I'm not sure if she was enlarging it or smoothing it out (although it looked very smooth already), but it's the first time she's shown an inclination to work on the nest in any way. On 05-19 the female was inside the nest but poking her head in and out, like she was testing the size of the hole. By 05-23 the male and female began swapping places in the nest; incubation has begun. On 05-24 the female came up, looked out and squeezed out of the hole, whereas the male easily pops out! She might need some SPANX. 
NEW: Male and female continue swapping places in the nest. 06-04 the adults begin feeding tiny bits, and staying inside for a while. 06-08 the female brings out a wood-covered fecal sac. Adults attentively feeding, initially taking in food and remaining for a while. Later, they deliver the food inside and get out quickly, frequently removing fecal materials. 06-20 adults deliver food, leaning upper breast in. 06-25 nestling sticks its head out, backs down and looks out side-eye. As usual for sapsuckers, the nestlings are very noisy. 06-26 it looks dangerous for the adults feeding the nestlings now, because they use their long beaks to stab at the adult hanging at the hole. On 06-27 at 10:40 a nestling popped out of the hole and “flew” a couple feet to an aspen directly in front of it. It immediately starts hitching itself up, running into a slight problem as it tries to hitch over the tiny, dead remnant of a branch. It moved over and continued going up. It has a white chin. It made it to an elm tree with sap wells, and the adult female followed. There are still at least two other nestlings, another with a white chin, and one with reddish chin markings. 6:15 p.m. there is still at least one nestling. 06-28 the nestlings have fledged by mid-afternoon. 07-02 there are two fledglings with adult male; later, there is one with the female. With the quick glimpses of the birds through the leaves, the black cap on the adult female makes it more difficult to tell if it’s her or a juvenile. Nesting successful.

Downy Woodpecker Nest #1:
04-09-2022 Female excavating a hole down and on the other side of the aspen in which they nested in 2021. By 05-03 the male was inside the hole up to his butt. The pair took turns excavating. On 05-07 I ended up watching the tree for an hour as the male put on an impressive display of fortitude. He went inside the hole at 10:45 and I could see lots of movement inside. He brought up beaks full of "sawdust" and popped back down. Repeatedly. At 11:01 the female came to the nest hole, looked in, and flew to a nearby tree. The male came up, tossed sawdust, and went back down. At 11:15 the female returned to the nest tree, hitched up, looked inside and flew off. Male continued tossing out sawdust. At 11:21 female returned again, male looked out at the female and went back down and continued tossing out sawdust. At 11:24 the male came up, stuck his upper body out and looked down at the ground, but returned to excavating. At 11:30 the female returned, the male looked out... you know the drill. At 11:45 the female returned to the tree, popped over to look inside their 2021 nest hole, and then went to their new nest hole. The male finally emerged, and flew off. The female went inside the hole and began excavating and tossing sawdust. On 05-15 I observed the pair copulating, and saw no more excavating activities. On 05-17 the female looked out, backed down, and then came up. 05-20 no activity, so probably incubating. On 05-22 the female went to the hole and hung out for a while. Eventually the male popped up and then backed down again. The female flew off. The male continued to pop up and back down. On 05-24 the male was inside again. 
NEW: Downies are quiet nesters, just going about their business. 06-01 male took tiny bit of food inside. 06-06 male brings out a large fecal sac. 06-13 a Great-crested Flycatcher pair investigate the previous nest holes in this tree, and then get to looking in the downy nest hole. The downy adults attack and chase off the flycatchers.  06-15 female nestling up to hole entrance to get food from male; sticks her head out of hole after feeding.  06-16 female brings food but keeps her head way back from hole so nestling has to reach. 06-17 female nestling with head out, winnowing call finally added to regular begging sounds.  Head out almost continuously as of 7:00 p.m. 06-18 Nest is quiet by 9:50 a.m. Fledged at least one female. Nesting successful. 
(A second pair nested north of our property somewhere, but came to our feeders. By mid-summer we had as many as three male and three female juveniles around our feeders at a given time.) 

Downy Woodpecker Nest #2:
This is our east-side property pair. I believe this is the pair that originally started making quarter-size holes in a really dead aspen--that came to nothing. On 05-03 a male and female were working on a nest in a dead aspen south of the earlier attempt. On 05-10 the male continued excavation despite the previous evening's storm blowing the tree a bit off-kilter. It cracked about two feet from the base, but was being held up by a nearby tree into which it leaned. It didn't tip far, and on 05-12 the male continued excavating as the tree survived another storm. Have not seen any additional activity since 05-13. Nesting failed.

Eastern Bluebird Nest #1:
03-19-2022 Heard a bluebird singing, then continued to hear or see at least one male most days. On 04-29 the nest inside a wooden Troyer nest box had a deep and beautiful cup. On 05-07 there were four blue eggs, with a total of six being laid. By 05-24 the eggs had hatched; it could have been as early as 05-22. 
NEW: 05-26 six tiny nestlings. 05-30 adults feeding regularly. 05-31 disaster strikes. Between the prior evening and mid-morning a cat attacked the nest and all the nestlings were gone. (Initially I thought it might be a raccoon attack, but the flattened grass around the base of the nest and the claw marks on the nest box indicated otherwise.)  I didn’t have a predator guard because in decades of hosting bluebirds I’ve never needed one. Later one of my kids told me about the neighbor’s cat hanging out in our yard and property. Shame on me for not being proactive. The pair leave our yard. Nesting failed.

NEW: Eastern Bluebird Nest #2:
06-08-2022 bluebirds return to our yard. Believe this is a different female; she is very bright blue. 06-12 female carrying long, coarse grasses to same wooden Troyer nest box, now with a baffle. 06-17 male chases Brown-headed Cowbird from nest box area. (They laid an egg in a bluebird nest box many years ago.) 1 pale blue egg. 06-18 male very unsettled, looking into other nest boxes, lots of burbling. Female seems to be gone. When the male left the yard, I looked into the nest box. The one egg is gone. The nest is still in pristine condition. Either a House Wren or the cowbird may’ve removed the egg. Since there was no replacement egg, I would guess it was a wren. The egg was not dropped on the ground below the nest hole. (06-19 found a very pale blue eggshell, half a shell and a few pieces, quite a distance from the nest box.) This time the male remains in the yard, burbling. Nesting failed.

NEW: Eastern Bluebird Nest #3:
06-24-2022 a female is taking short, dry grasses into the same wooden Troyer nest box. I did not remove nest #2. The female remodels/builds a very high and deep nest. The male remains vigilant and in the yard. The female less so. 06-27 2 bright blue eggs (different than from nest #2). The male stays close to nest, flying off to chase away wrens, cowbirds, Blue Jays, Field Sparrows, and Catbirds, and feeds the female frequently. 07-09 the female leaves the nest and I look inside. There are 5 bright blue eggs, meaning incubation started around 06-30. Plot twist: evening of 07-09 a third adult bluebird appears in the yard. It is a very pale female (similar to the Nest #1 female). She is perched not far from the active nest box. The incubating female charges out of the nest box and flies at the intruder. They end up flying west and the male follows. Shortly, he returns to the yard and perched atop the active nest box, then went inside. He came out and went to a look-out perch in an elm. As the female was returning, the male went to greet her. They met at another perch briefly, and the female returned to the nest box. 07-13 the male is either feeding the female inside the nest box, or is feeding hatchlings. 07-14 male out with small fecal sac. 07-23 can see a nestling’s beak coming up into the hole. 07-25 both the male and female just lean in to grab and remove large fecal sacs. 07-28 nestling with full, white eye-ring leaning out of hole. 07-30 late morning got to see two nestlings fledge. Three end up huddled together in a tree, with a 4th in a nearby tree. Adult male took food to the nest box, so at least one still inside. 07-31 the nest box was empty. I think all five made it to fledging. Nesting successful.

Black-capped Chickadee Nest #1:
03-19-2022 First observed a pair excavating at a knothole in a fairly small, dying oak tree. They were still excavating on 04-21. Have observed no more activity at the nest site since 04-23. On 05-13 a pair was in the area scolding me, but I haven't encountered that since. There is a gouge in the tree below their nest hole. They may have dug too deep and run into the gouge below them, leaving a bottomless nest. Also, this nest hole is approximately 15' from Downy Nest #2. I don't think it has anything to do with the apparent abandonment of this nest, as last year the chickadees nested in a stump about a foot away from a Downy Woodpecker nest. Nesting failed.

BCCH Nest #2:
04-09-2022 First observed a pair excavating inside an existing hole in a very dead snag in a small woods. 04-19 still excavating. On 04-29 an adult came out of the hole. 05-06 one adult out, other adult quickly in. 05-10 an adult came out, but through 05-20 there is very little activity at the nest, therefore, assume incubating. It has gotten very difficult to see this nest due to the foliage around it. As of 05-15 a House Wren took up residence very near this nest causing me great anxiety. On 05-22 the adults were going in and out quickly. Definitely feeding! 
NEW: 05-27 adults continue rapid feeding schedule. 06-08 adult with bug quickly in and out. 06-10 no activity at the nest, which would be an expected fledging timeline. Successful nesting.

BCCH Nest #3:
04-10-2022 First observed a pair excavating a hole in a very dead, small aspen. 04-19 excavation continues. On 05-07 an adult went into the nest with a bit of fur. On 05-10 an adult looked out and backed down; laying eggs? Through 05-20 there is very little activity. On 05-24 an adult went inside; about 15 minutes later another adult came to a nearby tree. The adult inside came out and the other immediately went inside. Eggs may have hatched. 
NEW: 05-27 adults feeding nestlings. 06-02 adult out with large fecal sac. 06-10 rapid activity, with food chunks going in and fecal sacs coming out. 06-12 adults nearby but did not go inside nest. This would be an expected fledging timeline. Successful nesting.

BCCH Nest #4:
04-19-2022 Observed a chickadee inside a wooden Troyer nest box, looking out. Aha, on 04-23 there was no nesting material inside the Troyer, but there was plenty of moss inside a nearby Gilbertson PVC nest box. On 04-29 there may have been a bit more moss and cedar shavings in the PVC nest, but I'm not sure. Can easily feel the bottom of the nest box. By 05-02 it appears this nest was abandoned. It was fairly close to the bluebird nest box, and in the past I've observed some pretty tough battles between the species. Failed nesting.

BCCH Nest #5:
04-29-2022 Observed two chickadees quickly excavating a hole in a dead tree next to a dead tree in which chickadees nested last year. On 05-03 the adults were both excavating, with the nest being deep enough that only the tip of their tails showed. On 05-10 a pair was in the area around the nest, but were not excavating. They may have dug down too deep and hit a hole in the tree below their hole, giving them a bottomless nest. On 05-24 I watched the nest for about 30 minutes without seeing any activity. Failed nesting.

BCCH Nest #6:
05-02-2022 Observed two chickadees excavating a hole very high in an aspen tree, on the underside of a thin branch extending upward from the trunk. 05-05 an adult looked out the hole, a second adult nearby. 05-06 an adult inside looked out, backed down; laying eggs? Observed no activity until 05-24 when an adult popped out of the hole. 
NEW: Adults around nest through 06-01, but little activity. 06-02 adults feeding. 06-04 adults feeding fast and furious. 06-08 adult able to just lean in and remove a large fecal sac. I believe because the nest is on the underside of a rising branch, nestlings have easier access to the entrance because it’s more like a ramp to the hole than the normal climbing straight up a wall. Pretty slick. Adults continue regular, busy feeding/fecal sac removal schedule. 06-15 nestling sitting in entrance hole looking out. 06-16 7:00 p.m. nestling in hole leaning out every which way, until it takes off and pulled into a tree just southeast of the nest tree. Very exciting. It’s the first time I’ve seen a chickadee fledge, despite observing dozens of nests. Adult(s) continues bringing food to the nest, leaning in. The nestling(s) are out of sight. 06-17 9:00 a.m. there is no activity at the nest. Successful nesting.

BCCH Nest #7:
05-02-2022 Observed two adults going in and out of a Gilbertson PVC nest box. On 05-05 an adult took fur inside. 05-07 an adult took coarse white hair inside. On 05-10 one egg was nicely buried under the fur "plug." 05-16 six warm eggs. On 05-24 an adult entered the nest. Incubation appears to be ongoing. This pair may be the owners of the abandoned Nest #4. It's not far away, but is farther from the bluebird pair. 
NEW: 06-01 adults feeding six tiny hatchlings. 06-04 can see only 5 tiny beaks. Adults taking food in. 06-07 adult out with large fecal sac. 06-12 adults in with food, out with fecal sacs. Only two nestlings left! Nest undisturbed. 06-16 still two noisy nestlings. On evening of 06-17, an adult takes a big chunk of food inside. Other adult has small chunks of food in beak and forages in the nearby crabapple tree, but leaves without feeding the nestlings. 06-18 10:30 a.m. the male bluebird hovers at the chickadee nest hole. Chickadees come and scold him. A bit later the bluebird is back and looks inside; the chickadees don’t respond. Since this is bizarre behavior on the part of both the bluebird and chickadees, I look inside the nest. There is one dead nestling. I called the Wildlife Rehab Center and they told me to double-bag the nestling and nest and disinfect the nest box. Nesting failed.

BCCH Nest #8:
05-20-2022 Observed chickadees coming out of our neighbors' mailbox "house wren" nest box. I thought I had seen chickadees flying from it as I drove past, but finally stopped to watch. I'm relieved to see that the wrens didn't take over this nest box (which they have used for several years). Hopefully, the chickadees will be able to fledge before the wrens attack. 
NEW: 05-30 at 2:22 adult out of nest box, 2:25 adult in. 06-07 both adults with food, one in, then out with fecal sac. Other waited outside for a bit, then entered with food. 06-12 no noise coming from nest box, but adults are near the nest box beeping at me. I suspect they fledged, but are nearby. Wrens did not dislodge this family, and the timing would work for a successful fledging. Nesting successful. 

NEW: BCCH Nest #9:
06-01-2022 Believe I found where the Nest #1 pair relocated. They’d continued scolding me when I was in the area of Nest #1, particularly on the eastern side of the trail with Nest #1 straight ahead south. Although their scolding receded, I continued looking to the east, and southeast for them. I finally looked northeast and discovered them taking big chunks of food into a fairly large hole, about 4 feet up on really dead limb that had fallen off an oak tree but remained vertical. 06-06 feeding continued. 06-08 I was watching the hole from a distance when a Blue Jay flew to the hole, started hanging from the hole and stuck its head inside. NOTE: Then I think I saw the jay reach a leg into the hole! I was shocked! Has anyone seen that before? The jay flew away as I went running and screaming toward it. An adult leaned into the hole and brought out a fecal sac, so I think they’re okay. 06-10 kids are pretty high in the nest because I can now see the adult each time they feed. 06-12 adult feeding/fecal sac removal continues. 06-13 no activity at the nest. This would be an expected fledging timeline. Nesting successful.

NEW: BCCH Nest #10:
06-02-2022 Discovered a chickadee nest in a small, natural-appearing hole in a live tree just off my neighbor’s driveway. It is located about halfway between Nest #8 and #9. Adults quickly feeding. 06-06 the adults were busily beeping in the wooded area around their nest. They may have fledged.  06-07 no activity at the nest. No additional information available.

House Wren Nest #1:
05-13-2022 a wren sang from the opening of a hole in a dead aspen tree. I was watching this tree because it had a "duplex" situation going on and fresh wood had been exposed around the openings. There are two holes, one higher than the other, separated by about two inches. The wren had taken in twigs that are visible as vertical sticks in the bottom hole, reminding me of prison bars. I think if enough twigs were added and a nice nest cup woven, the eggs could be protected from falling out. A few additional twigs were added in the following days, but I believe the bluebirds probably successfully chased away this threat. Failed nesting.

NEW: House Wren Nest #2:
05-15-2022 adults associating in a wooded area near BCCH Nest #2. Never locate the nest, but they are regularly seen and heard in the area. 07-31at least four fairly old fledglings are in the area. Nesting successful.

NEW: House Wren Nest #3:
NOTE: the BCCH Nest #6 with its ramp-like entrance appears to be prime real estate. 07-14-2022 adult wren clearing debris out of BCCH#6 nest hole. 07-18 no activity. 07-20 adult singing from hole, brought out a couple bits of debris, sang from hole and then flew south. Shortly after the wren departed, a juvenile male Downy Woodpecker tipped his head into the hole multiple times, finally entering. He was inside for a couple minutes, and then came up to the hole, looked out and backed down several times. He exited the hole, perched on a nearby branch, then left the area. Later, the wren returned, entered the hole, removed debris, and sang from the hole. 07-25 wren moves from in and out of this nest hole and the nearby Downy Woodpecker Nest #1. Juvenile wrens are in the area associating with each other and this adult. 07-26 a chickadee chases the wren from the hole area and departs, only to have the wren return, enter the hole and sit in the entrance singing. 08-22 after another big summer storm, the branch has broken off at the nest hole. Nesting failed. 
(03-03-2023 a male downy is excavating a new hole about 15” below the top of the branch where BCCH Nest #6 broke off. He is in up to his belly already.  03-11 there is now a second hole about 8-10” below the downy’s. 03-19 now there are three holes, the third one is maybe 6” below the second hole. The second hole may have run into the bottom of the first DOWO hole.)

American Kestrel:
04-23-2022 Observed the male for the first time this season, scanning from a pole that he used frequently last summer. He dropped down and got something to eat. Later I heard kestrel calling and went to see what was happening. The female had come in from the northwest, which is where they nested last year. After quite a bit of calling, they copulated. Last year they brought at least two kids to our yard to hunt. Looks like they are setting themselves up for a repeat this year. As of 05-26 I am seeing the male infrequently, and he is hunting a bit farther west of our property. 
NEW: Male high on a power pole, apparently plucking a small bird. Later, up to four fledglings were seen perched on poles and high wires gathering together and /or chasing the adults for food.

Northern Flicker:
The pair that was spending a great deal of time in the woods north of our house moved on. On 05-01 the female was in the woods on our east side checking out holes in the trees, but the male sapsucker went after her hard. Whose woods these are I think I know... the sapsucker's evidently. Since then I've rarely even heard the flickers calling. 
NEW: Juvenile flickers were observed on property as of 08-04.

Pileated Woodpecker:
I watched the male decimate one of our dead trees as he hunted for food. A male and female came to our feeders over the winter, and really stepped it up this spring when both would be in our yard at the same time. The male continues to come to our suet feeder, but I haven't seen the female in a while. The male drums loudly on a pole with a metal plate most evenings. Can anyone tell me what's going on with him? Last year I think they nested north of our property and I was hoping to figure out where they were nesting this season. I believe all is lost on that hope.
NEW: 07-25 At least one juvenile observed with adults. Beginning 08-17 the adults are observed feeding two juveniles near our feeders. The male usually feeds the juvenile female and the female usually feeds the juvenile male.

Great-crested Flycatcher:
One has been calling from different trees with existing holes, but their calling is less frequent and more distant now. I think I've missed the boat on catching them nesting this year--again. 
NEW: I think there were two pairs of flycatchers around the area. 06-01 a pair are investigating multiple tree-hole locations, including in trees near the nesting downies and chickadees. 06-25 a pair continue inspecting tree holes throughout our property. 07-10 a lot less calling, but still around. Perhaps they found a nesting tree. 

May all your dead aspens have nesting birds this summer!

Molly Jo Miller
Inver Grove Hts
Dakota Co