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Did you know?
Eastern Bluebirds typically have two broods in the northern portions of
their range while it is common for them to have three broods in the
southern part of their range. In the case of a warm summer that lasts
later than usual, three broods can be expected even in the
Northeastern United States. The number of broods is mainly
dependent on the weather and adequate availability of food (insects).

Eastern Bluebirds are cavity nesters and build a tall nest made mainly
from grasses. The female lays two to seven bluish eggs that are
incubated primarily by her. The eggs hatch in 12 to 14 days. The
hatchlings are fed by both parents and the young ones fledge in
another 14 to 20 days. Blowfly larvae are commonly found in bluebird
nests but it is rare for the infestation to cause death of the hatchlings
(by blood loss).

Eastern Bluebird, (Sialia sialis) carved in 2004. Base made
out of locust, chestnut and black walnut.

The Black-capped Chickadee, Parus atricapillus or Poecile atricapillus, is a small songbird, a passerine
bird in the tit family Paridae.

Adults have a black cap and bib with white sides to the face. Their underparts are white with rusty brown on
the flanks; their back is grey. They have a short dark bill, short wings and a long tail.

Their breeding habitat is mixed or deciduous woods in Canada, Alaska and the northern United States.
They nest in a hole in a tree; the pair excavates the nest, using a natural cavity or sometimes an old
woodpecker nest. They may interbreed with Carolina Chickadees or Mountain Chickadees where their
ranges overlap. The Black-capped and Carolina chicadees are virtually impossible to tell apart visually, but
they are readily distinguished by call.

They are permanent residents, but sometimes move south within their range in winter. On cold winter
nights, these birds reduce their body temperature to conserve energy.

Black-capped Chickadee on spruce treeThese birds hop along tree branches searching for food,
sometimes hanging upside down or hovering; they may make short flights to catch insects in the air.
Insects form a large part of their diet, especially in summer; seeds and berries become important in winter.
They sometimes hammer seeds on a tree or shrub to open them; they also will store seeds for later use.

During the fall migration and winter, chickadees often flock together. Many other species of birds, including
titmice, nuthatches, and warblers can often be found foraging in these flocks. Mixed flocks stay together
because the chickadees call out whenever they find a good source of food. This calling out forms cohesion
for the group, allowing the other birds to find food more

Black-capped Chickadee - (Parus
atricapillus). In my opinion a sort of
difficult bird to carve when relying
solely on pictures. The black on the
head tends to hide the true shape
and size of the skull structure. Also,
the bird strikes a great deal of body
poses and shapes difficult to render
in a wood carving.

Chickadee pair and nest composition. The birds are carved
out of black walnut and spruce. The cavity is made from a
chestnut post knot and the branch from soldered copper
wire and epoxy.
For some time now I had wanted to do something with this
unique chestnut knot I had laying around in my shop, but
just couldn't figure what, until recently.

Reading about the nesting and roosting habits of
Chickadees, I visualized that same chestnut piece providing
a safe nesting place to a pair of Chickadees.

I started working on the concept right away and was happy
with the result, so much, I really wanted to keep it. It seem
like I am always looking for excuses to keep every one of
these simple wooden birds. I just can't help it. At least I
know it is well liked where it now resides.

One of the lost Chickadees has gotten
caught on a picture.

Which number Chickadee is this one? I do
not recall, but it is inscribed on the bottom
of the base and chest.

The base was made out of Chestnut and
the growth rings are very pronounced.

Did you know?
The vocalizations of Black-capped chickadees are highly complex; 13 distinct types of vocalizations have been
classified, many of which are complex and can communicate different types of information. Chickadees' complex
vocalizations are likely an evolutionary adaptation to their habitat: they live and feed in dense vegetation, and even
when the flock is close together, individual birds tend to be out of each others' visual range.

The song of the Black-capped is a simple, clear whistle of two notes, identical in rhythm, the first roughly a
whole-step below the second. This is distinguished from the Carolina chickadee's four-note call fee-bee fee-bay;
the lower notes are nearly identical but the higher fee notes are omitted, making the Black-capped song like "bee
bay".

The males only sing the song when in relative isolation from other chickadees (including their mates). In late
summer, some young birds will sing only a single note. Both sexes sometimes make a faint version of the song,
and this appears to be used when feeding young.

The most familiar call is the familiar chick-a-dee-dee-dee which gave this bird its name. This call has been
observed to consist of up to four distinct units which can be arranged in different patterns to communicate
information about threats from predators and coordination of group movement. Recent study of the call shows that
the number of dees indicates the level of threat from nearby predators. An analysis of over 5,000 alarm calls from
chickadees, it was found that alarm calls by triggered small, dangerous raptors had a shorter interval between
"chick" and "dee" and tended to have extra "dees", usually averaging four instead of two. In one case, a warning call
about a pygmy owl, a prime threat to chickadees, contained 23 dees.[1] The Carolina Chickadee makes a similar
call which is faster and higher-pitched.

There are a number of other calls and sounds that these Chickadees make, such as a gargle noise which is
usually used by males to indicate a threat of attacking another male, often when feeding. This call is also used in
sexual contexts. This noise is among the most complex of the calls, containing 2-9 of 14 distinct notes in one
population that was studied.

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House Wren.
A charmingly obnoxious
singer and home garden
inhabitant. The box body
was carved hollow and a
small door crafted. A
good key storage place.

Downy Woodpecker
Eastern White Pine

Hooded Warbler
Carved from Butternut on driftwood
root set on an old Locust round.
Species specific breeding plumage
5-1/2".
Ready to fly off

Northern Cardinal
(Cardinalis cardinalis)

A pair of life size
Cardinals, the male
resting but attentive
and the female
napping. I used a
real branch, trimmed
and steamed it to
force a shape. The
late season cherry
berries have a
dehydrated look.
They are made out
of walnut each one
shaped and set on
wire. The base is a
large block of
darkened pine
necessary to support
the off center
perched male.
Cardinal are carved
out of very dry white
pine with inserted
glass eyes and cast
metal legs. Leaves
are crafted from
copper sheet and
formed and painted
to look as if frost
damaged. A delicate
looking, yet rugged
and simple folk art
piece. The birds and
base are made out
of white pine, the
branch is steamed
natural
rhododendron.

Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus
pileatus

Did you know?

The word "pileated" derives from the Latin
"pileus", a conical felt hat or cap. Before and after
the turn of the century, this Species was a frequent
victim of hunters who were after taxidermy
trophies. They were known as "woodcock" in those
days. The Pileated Woodpecker is a couple of
inches shorter than the presumably extinct Ivory
Woodpecker. It's toes are "zygodactylic", two toes
are orientated towards the front and two towards
the back, an adaptation for their tree climbing way
of life.

The Pileated woodpecker is likely
the last of the largest North
American Woodpecker species. A
flamboyant and beautiful tree
drummer who's presence in a mature
forest can't be missed or mistaken.

I strongly believe that the alleged
Ivory Billed woodpecker sightings in
the southern wetlands are actually
Pileated mis identification.

The Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos, is a large
passerine bird species of the family Corvidae. It is a
common bird found throughout much of North
America. In the interior of the continent south of the
Arctic, it is simply "the crow" as no other such birds
occur there on any regular basis.

It is one of several species of corvid which are
entirely black in color, though it can be distinguished
from the other two (but see also below) such birds in
its range - from the Common Raven (C. corax) by
size and behavior, and on the East Coast of the
United States from the Fish Crow (C. ossifragus) by
call.

American Crows are common, widespread and
adaptable, but they are highly susceptible to the
West Nile Virus. They are monitored as a
bioindicator. Direct transmission of the virus from
American Crows to humans is not recorded to date
and in any case not considered likely.

Crow
Carved from a block of White Pine, I applied a water based natural
wood dye and sealer, and formed the legs and toes from epoxy over an
aluminum frame to provide a stable support. The base is made from a
70 plus year old Apple branch and a Chestnut stand.

CROW
Corvus brachyrhynchos