Bluetit Diary    Jan 2006 (11)

 

 

Friday 27th January, 2006

The colder weather that we have had recently has removed any thoughts of nesting our birds may have had.  They must have been concentrating on the even more basic business of surviving.  The number of visits to our boxes has dropped significantly - on several days Box1 did not have a single visit.

Today was a bit brighter and two bluetits seemed to be playing around in and on Box1.  What happens is not obvious even though we have both an inside and an outside camera watching the events!  However, after extensive examination of these pictures, this is what I think happened.

It all started soon after 10 o'clock.  First, a bluetit approached the box and hopped onto the entrance hole for a good look in.

He, and if the commonly accepted theories are correct, it is a male bird, then seemed to be having a good look behind him.  From what follows, we presume this was to ensure that his partner was around to follow him.

Apparently satisfied by what he saw, he entered the box.

You can see from the time stamp on each of the two earlier pictures that this wasn't a rushed business.  It is well over half a minute since he first landed on the box's entrance hole.

Once inside, he has a good look round.  He doesn't stay long though.

Five seconds after he first entered the box, he is off - only to nearly collide with his partner who has come to see what is going on.

She just manages to cling onto the entrance hole as he whizzes past!

Just under three minutes later, the male is back, and is again checking that his partner is at hand.

At 10.10.02 he has entered the box again.

This is now the female coming to join him.

At 10.10.05, he is still inside the box but by this time the female has gone..

So he then goes back to the entrance to see what has become of her.

After a short while - about 15 seconds - he gives up waiting and leaves the nest box.

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