Kelly definitely has 8 eggs, but she looks as though she is stopping there. Babe is still being enigmatic about when she will start to lay her clutch, but has a surprise in store for us at the end of the day!
In fact this image is from half past six in the morning yesterday. You can clearly see the eight eggs. However, this morning, although we can't see the eggs as clearly as this, it doesn't look as though she has laid another.
Babe is still being very nest oriented, which is a good sign. However, so far there are no signs of any egg being laid!
Ferdinand is still being a loyal partner. Here he is having an early morning chat with Babe.
A bit later on, a starling came to investigate. We often wonder what the starlings are after. Is it a nesting site, or is it some chicks to predate in order to feed to their own young? Whatever it is, they are not welcome!
This one got its head some way into the nest box. Babe wasn't there but fortunately the starling didn't try to get any further.
After looking inside, it flew up to the top of the box and tried to peer in from that angle. I don't suppose it looked very different!
But who's this pair? It looks like Carlos and Megan. We wish they would find somewhere else to make their nest!!
Eventually, Babe noticed that the bluetit pair where noseying around her nest box and came rushing back to defend her territory, About time too!
She clearly didn't stay long as about 15 seconds later, Carlos was back again. However, something seems to prevent him going inside. Fear of being caught and beaten up by Babe?
This time Babe doesn't hang about and Carlos leaves pretty quickly after.
We mustn't forget Kelly. Today she has spent much more time than usual on the nest and we think she must have decided to stop laying and start incubating. So far though, we have seen little of Boris who needs to recognise his duty to keep Kelly supplied with titbits throughout the long boring days ahead.
Finally, our quick 10pm look inside Box1is rewarded. This time it is not empty - Babe is curled up in a ball inside! Another milestone has been passed. Next is the egg laying bit. Will she oblige tomorrow?