Bluetit Diary    Apr 2006 (9)

 

 

Thursday 20th April (part2)

So what's been happening in Claire's nest?

There's no sign of any egg here either!

At a quarter to eleven, this is Claire's first visit since we switched on.  But what's she doing - she seems to be looking for something.

Whatever it was, she doesn't appear to find it and goes soon after.

An hour later she is back with some downy stuff in her beak.

She is spending a lot of time sitting in the nest cup and fiddling with the material at its edges.

She is back again with some interesting looking material - we haven't a clue what it is or where it came from - but it looks right for this stage of the nest building project.

At this time she came and went several time collecting more of this material.

Here she comes with some more.  But what's that pale object in the nest cup?

Is it AN EGG!!

After her manoeuvrings, the object becomes clearer.  Surely this is Claire's first egg!

Claire is back with some more of the same stuff.

She tucks it around her as she sits in the nest cup.

Back again with some more.

This visit, which was at a quarter past two, was her last visit before the evening.

She comes back to the nest, empty beaked this time, at just after seven pm.

She fusses around, as birds do in this situation, and looks as though she is there for the night.

Then suddenly after over half an hour, she goes off again!

We needn't have worried - after a few minutes she was back again.  By this time the lights had switched off and this time she did not leave the nest again..

Will we have another egg tomorrow?