This pair of fox squirrels took over a kestrel box for the 2025 season and were not shy about defending their stolen home!

Fox squirrels are an invasive species of squirrel that were first noted in Utah in 2011.

As the largest tree squirrels in North America, they can easily take nests and other resources from the much smaller native red squirrels (or kestrels, in our case).

During the 2025 season, we only had one active nest box (aside from squirrels).

This pair of black-capped chickadees spent the spring of 2025 carefully constructing a nest inside NCBX07.

As we monitored, the female chickadee refused to leave her nest, even when a small fire threatened the nest box in mid-May.

Finally, we saw seven fully-feathered baby chickadees. Not long after, all 7 chicks successfully fledged and left the nest!

There is still so much to learn about birds!

With the assistance of Corey Riding, an experienced bander and professor at Salt Lake Community College, we were able to give each chickadee chick a unique ID band.

These bands will allow us to learn more about the breeding behavior of chickadees around where they hatch. Will they return and breed nearby? Will they leave to explore new territory?