Description

This was probably one of the most interesting and unexpected bird observations for me ever. A pair of Northern Cardinals built a nest in a bush right outside our living room window in Northern Kentucky. On the porch close by the cardinal nest, hung a small birdhouse that a pair of Black-capped Chickadees took an interest in at the same time the cardinals were building their nest. Once the cardinal chicks hatched, the chickadee pair immediately started feeding them. When I first witnessed this, I thought for sure it was just a one time event, but the chickadee pair brought the chicks food every day until they fledged. The chickadee pair then went back to their birdhouse nest and successfully raised chicks of their own.

To get this photo and to avoid disturbing the birds, I shot from inside the house through the window (hence the graininess of the photo and bad angle).

Category

Week 15: The Unexpected

Species

• Black-capped Chickadee
• Northern Cardinal

Tags

• feeding
• chicks
• northern cardinals
• black-capped chickadees
• Kentucky