Not a lot has been happening around our boxes recently. The weather has probably been to blame - it's either freezing cold or raining, neither of which encourages our birds to think about the nesting season! However, today we had some action in and around Box3.
The first indication that something might be happening was at about twenty past nine when a bluetit came to the nest box entrance.
It hesitated for some time and periodically kept looking over its shoulder. (Do birds have shoulders?)
It also spent much of its time having a good look inside the box.
Then it had a good look around again ...
... but whatever it was looking for didn't satisfy whatever criteria it used to decide whether to go inside. So it flew off!
An hour later it, or another bird - without their being ringed we cannot tell for sure, was back. This time is hung from the roof of the box to start with.
There's no doubt that having a horizontal roof edge to cling on just above the entrance makes for some interesting pictures!
Then it made a rather ungainly dash for the entrance.
We thought it would go inside immediately, but it spent the next 10 to 15 seconds hesitating and looking around before ...
... finally deciding to go in.
Immediately, another bluetit appeared and perched on the roof edge.
Now, which of these two birds is the male and which the female? The traditional view is that it is the male that susses out the box initially and persuades the female to go in after him to check it out.