Daily Feeding of eight day old Eastern Phoebe Chicks.I have the motion detector set and this is the what it picked up. This study was done on July, 8, 2005 with the chicks being five days old. I will repeat this study near the time that they fledge, for a comparison.
I have the chart color coded as follows: Yellow=Feedings (Mom & Dad), Green=Sitting, White=Leaving Nest, Red=Dad Feedings. Summary at the bottom of page.
Time
6AM 7AM 8AM 9AM 10AM 11AM 12PM 1PM 2PM 3PM 4PM 5PM 6PM 7PM 8PM Activity 6:05AM leaves nest 7:09 AM Feed
8:00 AM Feed/Sit 9:04 AM Feed/Sit 10:11 AM Feed 11:09 AM Feed 12:00 PM Feed
1:09 PM Feed/Sit 2:06 PM Feed/Sit 3:01 PM Feed 4:02 PM leaves nest 5:01 PM leaves nest 6:00 PM Feed 7:01 PM leaves nest 8:00 PM Feed/Sit 6:11AM Feeds chicks 7:12 AM Feed 8:14 AM leaves nest 9:05 AM leaves, Dad Feeds 10:14 AM Feed/Sit 11:10 AM Feed 12:01 PM Feed 1:16 PM leaves nest 2:12 PM leaves nest 3:03 PM Feed 4:03 PM Feed 5:11 PM Feed/Sit 6:05 PM Feed 7:18 PM Feed 8:05 PM leaves nest 6:13 AM Feed chicks 7:13 AM Feed 8:15 AM Feed 9:15 AM Feed 10:14 AM leaves nest 11:19 AM Feed 12:03 PM Feed/Sit 1:17 PM Feed 2:13 PM Feed 3:11 PM Feed 4:16 PM Feed 5:26 PM leaves nest 6:06 PM Feed 7:19 PM Feed 8:11 PM Feed/Sit 6:15 AM Feed chicks 7:17 AM Feed 8:20 AM Feed/Sit 9:16 AM Feed 10:15 AM Feed/Sit 11:21 AM Feed 12:05 PM leaves nest 1:26 PM Feed 2:28 PM Feed/Sit 3:13 PM Feed 4:23 PM Feed 5:28 PM Feed 6:11 PM Feed/Sit 7:21 PM Feed 8:12 PM leaves nest 6:21 AM Feed chicks 7:21 AM Feed/Sit 8:21 AM leaves nest 9:17 AM Feed 10:22 AM leaves nest 11:22 AM Feed/Sit 12:21PM Feed/Sit 1:30 PM Feed 2:32 PM leaves, Dad Feeds 3:16 PM Feed 4:32 PM Feed 5:37 PM Feed 6:16 PM leaves, Dad Feeds 7:21 PM Feed 8:18 PM Feed 6:25 AM Feed chicks 7:24 AM leaves, Dad Feeds 8:24 AM Feed 9:19 AM Feed 10:24 AM Feed 11:23 AM leaves nest 12:30 PM leaves, Dad Feeds 1:33 PM Feed 2:43 PM Feed 3:17 PM Feed/Sit 4:35 PM Feed 5:39 PM Feed/Sit 6:24 PM Feed 7:24 PM Feed 8:20 PM Feed 6:33 AM Feeds then sits 7:29 AM Feed 8:32 AM Feed 9:21 AM Feed 10:24 AM Feed 11:27 AM Feed 12:37 PM Feed/Sit 1:37 PM Feed 3:20 PM leaves nest 4:42 PM Feed 5:40 PM leaves nest 6:37 PM Feed 7:27 PM Feed 8:22 PM Feed 6:41 leaves nest 7:32 AM Feed 8:34 AM Feed/Sit 9:26 AM Feed 10:26 AM Feed 11:30 AM Feed 12:38 leaves, Dad Feeds 1:39 PM I checked Nest 3:21 PM Feed 4:51 PM Feed 5:43 PM Feed 6:39 PM Feed 7:36 PM Feed 8:38 PM Feed/Sit 6:44 AM Feed chicks 7:36 AM Feed/Sit 8:37 AM leaves nest 9:26 AM Feed 10:30 AM Feed/Sit 11:33 AM Feed/Sit 12:46 PM Feed/Sit 1:42 PM Feed 3:27 PM Feed/Sit 4:56 PM Feed/Sit 6:40 PM Feed 7:41 PM Feed 8:40 PM leaves, Dad Feeds 6:47 AM Feed chicks 7:40 AM leaves nest 8:39 AM Feed 9:27 AM Feed 10:36 AM leaves nest 11:35 AM leaves nest 12:51PM leaves nest 1:45 PM Feed/Sit 3:30 PM leaves nest 6:48 PM Feed 7:47 PM Feed 8:42 PM Feed/ Sits for the Night 6:48 AM Feed chicks 7:41 AM Feed 8:40 AM Feed 9:34 AM Feed 10:37 AM Feed 11:36 AM Feed/Sit 1:50 PM leaves nest 3:31 PM Feed 6:49 PM Feed 7:49 PM Feed 6:50 AM Feeds then sits 7:42 AM Feed 8:42 AM Feed 9:34 AM Feed 10:41 AM Feed 11:39 AM leaves nest 1:51 PM Feed 3:36 PM Feed 6:50 PM Feed 7:50 PM Feed 6:53 AM leaves nest 7:42 AM Feed 8:44 AM Feed 9:35 AM Feed 10:44 AM Feed/Sit 11:42 AM Feed 3:40 PM Feed 6:51 PM Feed 7:55 PM Feed 6:54 AM Feed/Sit 7:44 AM Feed 8:57 AM Feed/Sit 9:40 AM Feed 10:49 AM leaves nest 11:44 AM Feed 3:46 PM Feed 6:53 PM Feed 7:56 PM Feed 6:58 leaves nest 7:46 AM Feed 8:59 AM leaves nest 9:45 AM Feed 10:52 AM Feed 11:44 AM Feed 3:49 PM Feed 6:56 PM Feed/Sit 7:58 PM Feed 6:59 AM Feed chicks 7:47 AM Feed 9:47 AM Feed 10:56 AM Feed/Sit 11:45 AM Feed/Sit 3:57 PM Feed 7:50 AM Feed/Sit 9:50 AM Feed/Sit 10:59 AM leaves nest 11:53 AM leaves nest 3:59 PM Feed/Sit 7:53 AM leaves, Dad Feeds 9:53 AM leaves nest 11:57 AM Feed 7:54 AM Feed/Sit 9:55 AM Feed/Sit 7:56 AM leaves nest 9:56 AM leaves, Dad Feeds 7:57 AM Feed (174 separate feedings.) (From 6:05 AM - 8:42 PM she sit on the nest a total of 163 minutes, sometimes only 1-2 minutes at a time.) If these 3 chicks eat 158 insects a day for 16 days before they fledge, that's 2528 insects around my home that's taken care of for me. That includes, mosquitoes, gnats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers, katydids, spiders, and just about every kind of bee I have ever seen. I think I have a new found respect for the Eastern Phoebe!