Here in GA I chased the poor chickadees around as they tried to nest. We have a lot of yard work going on, so the poor guys built an nest in a modified Peterson's bluebird box, then a gourd, then back to the Petersons. We tried to stay away from their homes but they weren't having any of it. Finally they laid eggs in the Petersons. The babies should fledge very soon. They are making a racket and wearing Mom out with the feeding. I've tried to make up with the Mom by offering her meal worms occasionally and she has just huffed at me. Took the meal worms though!

I am in north GA, but friends in south GA have already had their Carolinas fledge.

Good for you laylaa! Here up North things happen somewhat later in the year.

I checked the box this morning but could not see how many eggs there are, the clever bird pulled a blanket of fur partly over the nestcup.

I checked my notes of last year, there were 7 eggs as of May 4, 2008. If she had laid an egg this morning and again tomorrow morning, that would be 7 eggs as of May 4, 2009.

Amazing precision (or coincidence). I don't know if she is the same bird of last year, though.

I am in Michigan and I have a nest of Dees. I have been gone for a couple of days so I don't know how many eggs she has. She just started incubating.
Cathy

I saw 7 eggs this morning, and this is her first day of incubation. If things go according to book, then she will lay 1 more egg tomorrow morning for a total of 8 eggs in the clutch.

Much of Michigan and much of Ontario are in the same zones 4 or 5, nice to have confirmation on the onset of incubation!

I saw only 7 eggs this afternoon, she did not lay another egg this morning. All 7 eggs are thus incubated at the same time, without an egg in the clutch that has 1 day less of incubation as is often the case. Today is the second day of incubation. There are usually 12 to 13 days of incubation before hatching.

I was able to take a closer look at this year's nest, the fur lining has been woven into the moss base plus there is a build up of fur on the moss base. Last year's nest has the fur lining woven into the moss base, but there was no build up of fur on the moss base. Same box, same nesting conditions. For example, I put up in my backyard a suet cage filled with dog fur that I got from a pet groomer.

That the nests has been built differently indicates a different bird to me, unless one and the same bird builds a nest one way in one year, and another way the next year, under the same nesting conditions.

6 eggs were laid and when I checked today, 5 had hatched. The nest was in progress for over a week and was first lined with pug hair, then fur from a squirrel's tail, then fluffed up with fleece from a piece of sheepskin I hung out. While the laying was in progress, momma kept the eggs covered with the fleece. Apparently, she removed most of it cause I don't see alot of it in the nest now.

Hopefully, that 6th egg will hatch.

I am a begginner birder and I have receently found out that there is a nesting pair of Black Capped Chickadees in one of my nest boxes. I looked inside and there were only 4 eggs and they are buried under the fur a few inches. Is this normal? And lately ihaven't been seeing any action in or around the box and whenever I check the box there is no bird incubating the eggs.

Yup, it's normal. She will cover her eggs during the day with fur, she will not stay in the nest to incubate until she has layed the last egg. She will go in the box early in the morning to lay her egg, then most likely will not return until the next morning when she is ready to lay another egg. This continues until the last egg is layed, then she will incubate.

My observation is that in the egg-laying phase, the female roosts in the box to lay an egg in the early morning, then she leaves the box for the day. This is what the 'book' also says.

However, there is a difference between what the 'book' says and what I have observed this year as to the start of incubation.

The 'book' says that she starts incubating, i.e. she stays in the box for the day with short interruptions (and roosts in the box at night) when she has laid her penultimate egg. In other words, the 'book' says that she will lay another egg the next morning after she stays in the box for the first incubation day.

What I have observed this year is that she did not lay another egg after she stayed in the box for the first incubation day. (She is incubating 7 eggs now)

As to fur blankets, what I have observed are fur blankets of up to perhaps half an inch thick. Last year bird was somewhat diligent in covering the eggs when she left the box. This year bird mostly leaves the eggs uncovered when she leaves the box. This different nesting behavior is perhaps another indication that it is not the same bird that nests in the box.

A few minutes ago, I saw mommy chickadee with some white stuff in her beak. Droppings? Egg shell parts?

I was able to see one hatchling, and another one that was about to break out of the egg (and the remaining eggs). The one hatchling is big compared to the eggs, it may have hatched yesterday, after 13 days of incubation.

Some (perhaps unjustified) concerns: the one hatchling did not move in the few seconds of observation. Moreover, I paid attention to the beak of the one hatchling, it does have a yellow lining, it is thus a chickadee baby, not a cowbird baby.

Mommy chickadee is back, sitting on the one hatchling (now perhaps two hatchlings) and eggs, hiding them all from view. But I was able to ascertain that there were no egg shell parts lying around, the nest is clean.

The miracle has started, from egg to flying bird in 14 days!