We recently had to have some trees felled at the bottom of the garden & for years we have always had one or two broods of blue tits in per year. It's nice to go down the garden & here the little birds chirping when mum or dad comes to feed them. We are always amazed at how hard the parents work.
So job for today is Skippy up the ladder resiting the tit box over to our neighbours tree (with permission) which is also on our boundary, which gives us a perfect view from my computer chair.
We are now counting the days to see if & how long it takes to get a resident even if we are a little bit late for a first brood.
Pics underneath, Skippy up the ladder, bird box in situ & the last fledgling to leave last year.
Thats good thinking to have them viewable from the computer chair, I look forward to seeing the pictures of the first brood when they arrive. What kind of time does the second brood usually start if you've missed the first?
Skippy reckons about end of June but with the weather as it is could be any time. I will let you know if we get any interest. I am hoping that it is far enough away from the feeding station.
We have had a couple round to view,watch this space.....
That was quick! They don't waste anytime do they
That was quick! They don't waste anytime do they
They certainly won't waste anytime, they need a place to nest for the summer and they need to find one as quickly as possible. Any residents yet tibbar?
What we presume to be the male was far more keen that the other. He has been nibbling round the entrance hole but they haven't moved in. We are just hoping. I have always wanted one of those boxes with the camera in so we can see what's going on.
What we presume to be the male was far more keen that the other. He has been nibbling round the entrance hole but they haven't moved in. We are just hoping. I have always wanted one of those boxes with the camera in so we can see what's going on.
You could probably quite easily set that up with digital cameras being fairly cheap. I know a friend who got a CCTV camera that transmits live to his PC 24 hours a day, I don't know how much it was but it wasn't a huge amount of money.
Have any moved in yet?
Quick update on the box, male still bringing the female to have a look but she is not convinced yet. He is still very busy pecking away at the hole so fingers crossed and update from the eastern front soon!!
Did I mention that you are lucky that you've got Skippy to get out on the ladder? Skippy is a brave man...
Kingfisher
Upodate on the box - It's not in favour this year. The pair interested in moving in changed their minds. So empty box I am afraid.
Perhaps next year, then?
Kingfisher
Well done with the bird boxes.
It's a good idea come October to give them a good clean out, including searing the inside with a blowlamp. If this isn't done, then parasites can build up inside the nesting material and possibly cause the birds to desert. This happened in a neighbours garden, the parents deserted and the chicks all died, he asked me to take a look at the nesting material and we found what looked like larvae. I photographed one through my microscope and sent it to BBC Wildlife Magazine, who confirmed that they were parasitic larvae and the most likely cause of the birds deserting.
Thanks for that advice wild canon but the one put back up is empty & we have a new one for great tits which the flap opens.I would never have thought of searing it with a blow trorch though, good tip!
Update:- No residents last year - we feared that it was too close to the feed stations. This year we went through it all again , the male bringing his mate, the pecking of the entrance hole & then nothing. Next thing we knew was cheep, cheep, & they had hatched a brood. We watched them for 3 weeks then all of a sudden they had gone.. silence........
Unfortunately all I got was one rather blurred hurried pic not worth posting, but at least the box is in use. So Skippy will be up the ladder emptying the box sometimed in the next few weeks & we might just use wild canon's tip of searing it with the blow torch. Can I remind others that in our experience blow torches & birds nests do not mix especially if they are in a roof...they keep both myself & Skippy in a job. So I think that I should be able to trust him up that ladder, don't you?