Bluetit Diary    Mar 2001 (1)

 

 

Thursday 1st March, 2001

It is now midday and all the feathers from yesterday's fight have disappeared. One of the birds is becoming increasingly obsessed with the camera area. It repeatedly flies in and out of the box, attacking the camera and its cabling when it is inside.

We are uncertain about the sexes of our visitors. We presume the female is the one that sometimes performs nesting wriggles. Of our two (or more?) birds, one is quite aggressive, attacking the camera and its wiring with great gusto. The other is more timid and generally keeps out of the other's way. However, they do appear to roost together in the same box as was reported on Monday

Tonight, we came in at shortly before six o′clock to see the end of another fight with one bird, flying away leaving a few feathers. It came back a bit later and was driven off again by the dominant one who came down from the attic.

This time we switched on the recorder and amazingly, it came back a third time and when it first arrived it looked very anxious. It stared intently up to the top of the box for a long time. Finally, it decided that it was safe and put its head under its wing and went to sleep. This all took place within about 15 minutes. As a result, we decided to leave the light on and set the video recorder for 05.00 tomorrow in order to see what happens.

 

 

Friday 2nd March, 2001

After a little wriggle and a stretch at 05.42, Timid finally woke up at 05.50hrs. The early morning activity in the box was as follows.

05.50   Timid looks out of the hole, peeps upstairs, and decides not to go out yet.

05.53  It is still looking out every now and then but has not yet gone outside.

05.54  Faint stirrings upstairs. Timid looks worriedly up at the attic (or is it beseechingly?)

05.55  Timid looks out of the hole again - and from there to the attic!

05.58  Timid leaves the box.

06.13  The boss comes down from the roost. It looks at some droppings on the bottom of the box and then ponders the great outside from perching on the exit hole.

06.20  It decides it is much too early to get up and goes back to the attic!

06.26  It comes down for another look outside, staying in the hole viewing the world for a long time.

06.34  It pops back inside for another look around the box. Then back on to the exit hole. And from there back to roost.

06.35  Finally it is time to go and leave the box. There was no more sign of any activity in the box during the final hour of recording until 07.30.

 

 

Saturday 3rd March, 2001

There is nothing particular to report today. Again, the boss went to roost at about 17.18 followed by Timid at 17.49

 

 

Monday 5th March, 2001

We are off to Italy for a week tomorrow. Our birds will have to look after themselves.

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