Bluetit Diary    May 2004 (23)

 

 

Saturday 22nd May, 2004

Fluffy has been attracted to the hideaway she has discovered at the top of the nest box ever since she started visiting it.  Readers who visited us last year may remember that she pecked a hole in the cardboard collar that we added at the top of the nest box to try to prevent her reaching the electrical wiring at he top.  You can read more about this here.

Since she has had the chicks to look after, she has visited the top of the box much less, but today we caught a sequence that shows that her obsession with this cosy spot has not disappeared entirely!

At about half past twelve, we noticed that she seemed to be looking longingly up at the top of the nest box.

In a trice she hops up and soon after disappears from view.  We always wonder what she will do up there and hope that she will not damage the lighting wires as that could prove disastrous as the time for the chicks to fledge draws ever closer.

While Fluffy is up in her hidey-hole, Barney comes in to feed the chicks.

After a few moments, he hears noises coming from the top of the box.  This would normally be caused by something outside, a predator perhaps?

Incidentally, this image shows that Barney has now lost almost all of his head feathers.  It is quite common for male bluetits to suffer in this way at this time of year.

He therefore leaves the nest to investigate. 

Eight seconds later he is back - clearly he can see nothing causing the noise from outside!

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