Bluetit Diary    Apr 2011 (4)

 

 

Monday 11th April, 2011

Now for Zoe's update in Box3.

Box3 was newly reconstructed for this nesting season and on 22nd December, it was still looking fresh and clean.

However, this was the first day one of the bluetits decided to roost in the box and over the next few days it rapidly became clear that this was a male - the floor of the box soon became littered with droppings!

On 7th February, Zoe decided that enough was enough and at 10.54am started the grand clear up.

This was interrupted by another fight between Harry and Will for the ownership of Box3 and possibly for the hand of Zoe (if that's the right term!)

However, after the fight, Zoe went back to work and two days later the box was quite clean again.

In spite of appearing to lose the fight against Will, Harry was continuing to roost in the box overnight so each morning Zoe had to come in and clear up the mess again.

There's devotion for you!  And Harry wasn't even her partner!

The last time Harry roosted in Box3 was the night of the 6th March, so finally Zoe was saved the morning chore of clearing up after him.  It was not clear why he suddenly stopped roosting here.

Finally, on 21st March, Zoe brought nesting material into the box for the first time.

After a couple of hours, she had made quite a difference.  But as often happens, she then started taking the nesting material out again ...

... and by the next day, the box was nearly empty!

Ten days later and it's not much better!

However, suddenly she goes into nest building mode again and two days later, the floor of the box is more or less covered.  Here Zoe is celebrating with a nesting wriggle.

The effect of frequent nesting wriggles is to create the nest cup in the nesting material and judging by where she is wriggling, the cup will be just where I hoped it would be when setting up the side mounted camera.  The chosen spot always seems to be the point on the floor of the box most distant from the entrance hole.  That's the safest place I suppose.

Let's hope she doesn't change her mind!

Finally, Zoe must think she has nearly completed the nest as she finally decided to root there overnight herself.