I remember a similar post a number of years back, I don't remember how it ended, I believe they cut the post below the nest to get them out. I think I also remember a suggestion about attaching a bolt to some garden twine, lowering it into the pipe and tying it off at the top so the babies could climb up the twine to get out. I wonder if the missing egg fell down the pipe. How long has she been on the nest? If she has just begun you may want to consider caping it off forcing her to start over somewhere else. Maybe provide her with a nestbox. Not sure if that is leagle or not but I would much rather see her lose a clutch of eggs than a nest of babies. Tough call on this one. Let us know what you decide to do. Good Luck either way.

Thanks for the advise. I did think about just destroying the nest and make her start over. I still may do that, since she has been setting for only a week or so. I am not sure when she actually started. She was off the next a good bit over the weekend, but it was really warm in the pipe (hot day) so she may have felt like she did not need to stay on the nest. when it rained that night, she was all tucked up in a ball on top of the eggs keeping them dry. I can't cut the pipe off. It holds my shade sail up and if I cut it, it will be too short to walk under the sail. I guess I'll just keep an eye on things and hope for the best. I'll let you know what happens.

Here's a couple pics I took over the weekend. It's hard to get pics in that pipe!

OOOHHH that looks ok! A picture is worth a thousand words. Seeing what you have I would try to mount a small umbrella of sorts to keep any rain from washing the nest down and also keep from over heating. Go to the www.sialis.org website and find the incubating/fledging time for Chickadees. Good Luck!

Oh good! I am so relieved. She just seems to take up so much of the space I was worried how 4 or 5 babies would fit in there. I checked her this evening. She was on the nest and none too happy about me peeking in at her. I will rig up an umbrella this weekend. It's cool for now, but will be nearly 90 by sunday. The pipe is in full sun and I do worry that she or her chicks will over heat in there. I'll get some shade on them somehow. I did see that the incubation period is about 2 weeks and then 2 more until they leave the nest. I am hoping the nest can't fall down the pipe. The pipe had a big clump of great stuff foam in it and I am hoping that the foam slipped down the pipe and that's what her nest is sitting on. I won't know until they move out. I'll remove the nest to satisfy my curiosity and seal the pipe up so they can't nest in there again. It's actually a really safe place for a nest. Nothing can get to her or the chicks in there!

Any updates? And.... have I seen your pond on the ponding forum?

Nothing new yet. I wrapped the pipe with a heavy towel to insulate it from the heat and also put a umbrella thingy about 12" above the top to shade it. So hopefully conditions in the pipe will be a little cooler now when the chicks to hatch.

I don't go to the ponding forum here much. I am a very serious koi hobbiest (my biggest pond is 9000 gallons, 4' deep, bottom drains, 24" to 32" koi) and I show them. I used to go there a lot and really tried to help people (I am a certified Koi Health Advisor). I would spend a lot of time giving through, in depth answers to questions only to have some the original poster prefer to take the advise of the person who thinks adding more plants will fix all of the problems. lol! So i just gave up. I spend a lot of time on dedicated koi forums instead, and the kitchen forum here.

Well! Please keep up to date on the Dee situation AND, I have a small 600 gal pond with various goldfish, some over 10 yrs old. I would love a reliable source to help me with the few problems that come up. There are No ponding experts within 100 miles from here! I never know who to listen to on the ponding forum! I can help you with birds, you can help me with fish? :) lvlice@aol.com Thanks! (I cant cook either) LOL!

I'd be happy to help whenever I can. Goldies and koi have pretty similar needs, although goldies are MUCH hardier and much cleaner. Koi get SO big and it just saddens me to see them crammed into teeny ponds....kind of like keeping a Great Dane in a kennel all the time. My koi have become such pets. They recognize me (I am the one who feeds them most of the time) and as soon as I step on to the deck, they are all at the side of the pond with their mouths open, begging for more food. They are very cute critters.

CC, remember there are lots of people out there reading who never post anything so you've probably helped a lot of people.

Just wondering how this nest is going?

Sadly, I think the eggs are cooked. I spent a good bit of time on the deck yesterday and did see both parents visiting the pipe, but not often enough to be feeding chicks. So I got out my ladder and peeked down the pipe....and the 4 eggs are still in there. It's been over 2 weeks now, so I am afraid the eggs are dead. I guess it's for the best. I would hate for them to hatch and then die because it's just too hot in the pipe. I'll give it a couple more days just to be sure, then I'll cap the pipe off. That really was not a good place for a nest.

Well your right It may be best if they don't hatch but I would definatly give it at least a good 5 days yet, they are not far off the hatching schedule. They dont always start incubating right away so you are still pretty close especially if you don't know the exact date she started. Thanks for being so caring about this nest. Send me an e mail lvlice@aol.com so we can stay in touch about the ponds!

In case the eggs are still OK - maybe you can try moving the nest? I'm not sure if it's possible to reach or if the parents will accept it. But most of the the time it works. I have personally made a little move/remaking a fallen open cap nests with chicks in it, and once I moved a starling nest with eggs from the hole under the roof. I moved it because the chicks were falling out of the hole and it was not the best nesting site.

First I screwed the birdhouse to the wall in such a way that the hole in the birdhouse was as close as possible to the hole the birds were using. After that I moved the nest with the eggs into the birdhouse and sealed the hole under the roof. I watched the parents - they started going inside the birdhouse after a very short time. I gave them a few days to get use to the new nesting site and after that I moved it to a pole about 4' from the wall where the house was originally located. They accepted it again and raised chicks from the eggs I moved.
You can probably do the same for your birds. If its fails - well, as you said, maybe it's for the best.

we have babie chickadees in a dish network satalite post! small opening! today one baby jumped out! he is fully feathered but cant fly well yet. we found a old nest & mounted it up next to the satalite post where the mama goes in to feed the kids! do u think all will be ok? we saw mama bird come back..but not after dark.
please reply! also marialawson3@yahoo.com
iam worried about this baby! but had to try to let its mom & dad teach it!

I think the parents have realized that their eggs will never hatch. They have not visited the nest in the last two days and when I checked late yesterday evening, the mom was not on the eggs. I think they have moved on, to start a new family elsewhere. I'll cap the pipe tomorrow. I wish I had thought to insulate it earlier....they chicks might have survived if I had. It was just too hot in that pipe.

As sad as I am that it happened, I am still glad they laid their eggs in that pipe. Because of it, I met some nice and helpful people here (especially Lisa) and have started posting on the watergarden forum again.

I have enjoyed the birds this summer more than ever. I live on 25 acres in the country and my yard backs up to a swamp and dense woodlands. I get an amazing variety of birds here! I think the Flickers are my favorite, although I have not seem them as much lately....I assume they are off nesting somewhere. In early spring, I'd see as many as 10 at a time on the ground.

Anyway...thanks for all the help and advise with this nest. I really do appreciate it!

Cindy