--- You wrote:
I have never heard of that happening before, where one species of bird helps another  
species raise nestlings?!  It seems like it would be a horribly maladaptive  
thing to do, wasting all that energy instead of either trying to re-nest or just  
relax for the rest of the summer to try again next year. It seems so odd that  
it tried to build a nest out in the open in the sun when I thought Chickadees  
were only cavity nesters, too. I wonder if there is something seriously wrong  
with the poor little bird's brain.  

Maybe it's not that unusual and I've just never heard of it before. (?) Does anyone  
have any other examples of it happening that they know of?
--- end of quote ---

	I don't know how common such behavior is, but it does occur.  I read an article  
some years ago (I believe in _Smithsonian_) that mentioned a cardinal that had  
lost its brood and was feeding carp in a pond!  The fish came to the surface,  
opened their mouths wide, and the cardinal hovered over and dropped them tidbits  
of food.  While I wasn't able to find the article online (it appeared years ago,  
before the internet), I did find this, which even has a video:

<http://www.a-home-for-wild-birds.com/cardinal-and-goldfish.html>.

Really amazing!

			Best wishes,
			David Webb