Will I Have a Tufted Titmouse Nest or Not?
In my last post, I told you about my jubilation over thinking I was going to finally have a tufted titmouse family in my back yard. I told you about the odd first attempt at a nest that was seemingly abandoned. And how, after over a week of no activity, I decided to clean out the nest so any other bird thinking about nesting there would not be put off. After having one clutch of Carolina chickadees nest and fledge from a smaller box at the back of my property, I just thought another nesting pair would move into this one. I was pleasantly mistaken!
Renewed Interest?
A few more days passed and I was beginning to think nobody was going to take the box. Since my genetically challenged bluebirds had occupied the box years ago, I’ve had no more of them. They might come to browse but not take.
One morning last week, I saw a slightly pudgier titmouse returning to her box. She wasn’t the slightest bit fazed by it being emptied. Within a few minutes she was bringing gigantic clumps of material in an effort an engineer would marvel at! How does a bird pick up, fly with and maneuver a bale of nesting material longer and wider than themselves into a bluebird sized hole? It was comical to watch is all I can say!
Here’s some pics of her first days’ work. Keep in mind, most of the birding guides say that a tufted titmouse nest is built in as little as six and as many as eleven days. The pics you see below happened over a three to four day period! Talk about a hard worker-LOL!
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This Nest Needs to Happen NOW!
The main difference between this effort and the previous one was she seemed to have an urgency about her. Like I mentioned earlier, she seemed to just barely fit right through the hole now. Even though I know a bluebird sized hole should be plenty big for her. The frantic building continued and I think she’s almost ready to put eggs in there.
Here’s a short video I put out on YouTube showing her going in and out of the nest box. Sorry I didn’t have time to set up a better shot but you get the idea I think.
Next up: We have eggs!
In part 3, I’ll show you the clutch of eggs she finally put in there. Then, I’ll show you a video I made of the tufted titmouse parents darting in and out of the box feeding their little ones after they hatched.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on your favorite social media platform using the buttons below. Also, leave me a comment and let me know if you have any experience with tufted titmice nesting in your back yard. Or, just let me know what you’d like to see covered in future posts on the blog.
Thanks for reading and watching!
Jeff
I enjoy all my birds. And learning from others stories. I don’t know where they nested last year, but I know my little titmice brought their young to my feeders last year. Expect the same this year. I’ve been blessed last year with my first box 2 hatchlings of blues. So far this year, there have been two hatchlings, one from my box and one from another because multiple adults and young at my feeder. I already have feathered young ones in my second hatching in my box. Another great gift this year, tree swallows raised two young in a second box. Beautiful birds that consume thousands of insects and are spectacular to watch. Thanks for your articles.
Hi Stephanie,
It sounds like you’ve built a heaven on earth! And it looks like the birds have figured it out too-LOL!
The diversity of species you have on your property is staggering. Great work!
Most importantly, kudos to you for taking the time to appreciate all that you have there. My hat is off to you!
Now that my first ever titmice brood has fledged (coming up on next article or two), I’m hoping the bluebird pair I see checking the box out will decide it too is a great location. I’ve also got a wren box that I hope some more chickadees will make their home.
It’s all good! Thanks for you kind words and sharing.
Jeff