The Bird Housing Shortage

We humans aren't the only ones having trouble finding homes.

I bought this little birdhouse 30 years ago from a local guy who said he built these little houses specifically for certain types of birds.

I don't know much about birds, so I took his word for it. It's a cute little house and I liked the design. If I got some bird neighbors to nest in it, that would be a bonus.

Over the decades, I have lived in three different houses and put the birdhouse up in each of those yards. Never once did a bird show any interest in it.

Until last spring.

I walked out my front door one morning and, behold!, this little bird was perched on the front of the house, looking around the yard. Fortunately, I had my phone in my pocket and was able to get this photo.

I was so excited! Like a doting, first-time grandma, I showed this picture to anyone who would stand still long enough for me to get my phone out. It's the first time in 30 years that an actual bird came to my birdhouse!

Of course, I didn't know what kind of bird this is, so I asked my friend, Connie Wurm, the resident bird expert at West Seattle Nursery, to identify it. (Yes, she has heard every joke you can think of about birds and wurms/worms.) She told me that this bird is a black-capped chickadee.

Connie asked me how high my birdhouse was from the ground. I told her it was at about 5 feet. She says they like to be much higher up and that's probably why birds haven't nested in it before. Currently there's a shortage of good nesting places, she says.

That would explain why my prospective tenant stopped by to take a look. When there's not a lot to choose from, you have to consider all the possibilities, even if the location isn't ideal. Plenty of humans can relate.

After my conversation with Connie, I saw my new friend several times. Sometimes it was just perched on the outside, as you see in the photo, and other times it was diving inside the house for a look around. I had high hopes that nesting and baby birds would soon follow.

But alas, weeks went by without a chickadee sighting. I assumed the little bird had found a different home.

And then, signs of life began to appear!

For weeks, I watched as the chickadee parents tended their babies. I hoped to see them fly away when they were ready to fledge. But alas, they moved out without notice. Fortunately, I have this little video memory of those magical days.

Are you a bird watcher? This bird feeder, with a solar powered camera, allows you to record images and identify your feathered visitors!