Chickadees are among those bird species that nest in cavities. Unlike woodpeckers, they are not equipped to chisel a hole. However, they can pick away at dead wood to open a hollow for their nest. The chickadee shown here was working on soft wood atop an apple tree stump early this morning. Two birds, the male and female I presume, were taking turns chipping small chunks of wood loose, and tossing them away. The nest will be exposed to weather, but the sitting bird will shelter the eggs and young.    Â

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