Bluetit Diary    May 2004 (13)

 

 

Thursday 13th May, 2004

Barney and Fluffy have trained Elizabeth to provide mealworms on demand, (when they can see her).  Until recently she has been putting these delicacies in a dish on the windowsill of the study, just near where she is often seated.  However the robins and sparrows have discovered them, and since they can easily collect 3 or 4 mealworms at a time, our bluetits don't get much of a look in.

Last year we used a caged feeder on an old table outside the kitchen window, and as this is only accessible to bluetits, we are using it again now.  Today Barney and Fluffy appeared on the cotoneaster by the study window, so Elizabeth went immediately to collect some mealworms to put into this exclusive feeder.  By the time she went outside they were in the nearby hedge, waiting for her - and this is round the corner from where they first saw her!

Later in the day, when she had been away for some time, she took some mealworms out, and called "Fluffy, Fluffy" - and both the birds arrived within a few seconds.

This is the normal early start for our bluetits.  Today it was at 5.12am, over an hour before we have arranged for the inside light to be turned on by an automatic time-switch.

Again, as usual, it looks as though Fluffy has a faecal sac in her beak.

We think, from what is shown later, that this is a race for the entrance hole.

Although Fluffy has clearly got there first, Barney is not very far behind.

However, she makes way for him to enter the box first!

Fluffy with her 7 chicks.  Five mouths are clearly visible and the other two can just be seen as two yellow gashes above the central gape.

With so much traffic into and out of the box, clashes are inevitable.  Here Fluffy wants to enter, but Barney wants to leave!

Again, it is Fluffy who gives way, letting Barney fly off before she enters.