Finally, we look at the bluetit in BBB as she settles down for the night. All these photos were taken using the Infra Red lighting and so are monochrome images.
Shortly after 6 o'clock, a bluetit comes into the box.
I have always assumed that the bird that visits during the day is the same one as roosts in the box at night. However, this isn't necessarily so! What a pity our birds aren't ringed!
She's in!
She appears to be looking back at the hole.
On other days, she seems to visit the box one or two times before she finally decides it is time to roost. Is she looking to see whether it is dark enough outside to call it a day?
If you are inside the house with the lights off, it never looks as dark outside as it did before you went inside!
Still, she appears to be preparing for the night.
See that at present, she still looks fairly sleek.
As she prepares for the night, she starts to fluff up her feathers to provide herself with better insulation against the cold.
A minute later, she is still wriggling around and making herself comfy.
A Finnish friend has bluetits roosting in temperatures of -20° C. How do they survive!
After another minute, her transformation into a little fluffy ball is complete.
She will periodically appear to wake up a bit and have a good wriggle, I suppose to get warmer, but will generally stay like this until the morning.