Feathers and Fuzz

one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues

Chickadee Nest Invaded by Bumblebee

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Momma Chickadee was not one bit happy to return home only to discover a bumblebee was rooting around in her nest full of eggs.  She would perch outside the house, in the doorway, and watch with agitation.  Clearly, she was not willing to enter the house while the bumblebee was present.

Finally, while Momma Chickadee was in the doorway, the bee decided to exit.  The bird and the bee meet face to face — and both freak out!  I attempt to show this event in the video, but will tell you it happens so fast the video doesn’t do it justice.  When the bee does exit, Momma Chickadee chases it to the next county!

Interesting how predator/prey roles reverse.  A bee inside a birdhouse is a predator, but once outside — it’s prey!

Titmouse Nest Invaded by Bumblebee

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Bumblebees frequently investigate birdhouses with active bird nests.  While bumblebees can take over a bird nest for use as their own nest, the birds at The Retreat have won the day so far.

In this video, two different bumblebee invasions of a Titmouse nest are shown.  The first invasion was of a nest under construction (no eggs or young).  The female Titmouse exited immediately upon encountering the bee.  In the second invasion, it was a very different story.  The Titmouse nest was full of eggs.  When the female Titmouse returned to the nest, she clearly heard the bee.  Instead of fleeing, she went on a mission to hunt down the intruder.