I was gardening the other day and came across a Chickadee nest suspended between the stalks of several particularly large weeds (the area hadn’t been gardened in a while…). Inside the nest were four small hatchlings, looking perfectly healthy and hungry. Slightly alarmed that I had disturbed their nesting place, I retreated immediately and watched from inside to make sure their mother returned to the nest. She did, and all was well for the next few days. My dogs, not having been purchased for their hunting abilities, didn’t come across the nest. I thought the story was over, until the next time I had garden in the same area, which happened a few days later. This time, I tried to avoid the nest and all seemed well at first, but I quickly realized that I had made a mistake in letting the dogs stay outside with me. They generally hang around the area of the yard that I am in, and inevitably, Cheddar discovered the nest. When he knew I was watching, it was only with polite interest that he sniffed the nest and the tiny birds within. But I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to go back indoors to do other things, and when that happened, Cheddar wouldn’t hesitate to pull the nest from its location and kill the babies inside. I decided my only option was to move the nest several feet away into a higher bush, and hope that the mother watched and noted the location. I did so, and after painstaking and nervous surveillance from the kitchen window, I finally observed the mother finding the nest. She wasn’t the only one that discovered the new location, however. The next morning, I checked the new bush to find the nest pulled partially apart on the ground and the babies gone. I knew it was Cheddar– he has a track record of bird violence. Nevertheless, I was furious and attempted to “teach” Cheddar the error of his ways, which probably had little or no positive effects. I realize now that he thought he was just doing his job, and I will have to act more shrewdly the next time I discover helpless animals in the yard.
