Bluetit Diary    Dec 2006 (1)

 

 

Sunday 17th December, 2006

If you think it odd that 2007 starts with December, it's because of global warming!  Certainly, we already appear to have a great tit pair looking for a potential nesting site and this is significantly earlier than I remember in previous years.

I have already made a few changes to our setup this year and hope to have a third box up soon where a bluetit nested in 2006 without our being aware of it until it was too late!  We noticed quite late in the season that a bluetit pair had taken over the middle section of our unused sparrow terrace and to judge by the nest left at the end of it all, had brought up their brood successfully.

The principal change so far is that I have mounted one of our outside cameras just in front of Box1 giving us a rather better external picture of what's going on there.  We already have a great tit pair interested - they spent most of the day going in and out of the nest box.  On several occasions, one of the pair stayed inside the nest box for over 20 minutes.  Finally, we could see, even without an internal camera, that a great tit was roosting inside the box overnight.  More detail later!

Unfortunately, because of a camera fault, we cannot show you any inside shots at the moment but I hope to have a replacement well before any serious nesting activity takes place.  At least it has happened now rather than in the middle of the nesting season! 

After what seemed like an age of hesitation, this great tit decided to take a look inside.  Not only is the camera not working but the lights are not on either so he will have to get used to them later.

But what's this?  We haven't seen bluetits around this box for ages.  Why on earth this one should decide to have a look around when there is a great tit inside the box I shall never know.  Is it coincidence, or was he watching and hoped to lay claim to the box himself?

The bluetit didn't hang around when he saw what was going on.  However, it was 27 minutes before the great tit emerged!  Not bad for a first visit.  He must like the place.

Fifteen minutes the great tit was back for another visit.  This time he didn't spend so long hesitating before he went in.

This box is getting mighty popular - or have the great tits already paired off and this is the female checking up on the male?

Over twenty minutes have passed and the bird is still inside the box.  Here he comes to the entrance hole to have a look around.

Perhaps he also calls too the female as she soon reappears on the scene.

I can't be certain that I have the sexes of the birds the right way round.  Unfortunately neither of them has shown its front to the camera as the size of the black line down the great tit's front is the only guide I know to telling the male from the female.  A male has a big butch black stripe and the female a more restrained one!

However, as it is accepted that the normal process is for the male to find and check out a potential nesting site, showing it to the female for her consideration if he is happy with it, I expect that it is the male inside and the female coming to see what's going on.

The male eventually leaves the box after 23 minutes inside.

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