Bluetit Diary    May 2011 (14)

 

 

Saturday 21st May, 2011

Today the chicks in Box2 have started to fledge.

We had expected the chicks to fledge today, so it was with some trepidation that we looked at the first images captured after the system had switched on at about 6.30am.

However, all 10 chicks were still present!

It wasn't until half an hour after the system switched on that the chicks got their first feed.  Here is Dave with some food.

This was the first sign that some of the chicks were thinking of the world outside their nest box.  A chick is on the nest box hole looking out.

Dave comes to the nest box again with more food and this means that the chick forgets his ideas for a short while at least.

Shortly after 7am, we still have all ten chicks in the box.

A few minutes later and a chick looks out again - will he go this time?

Nearly!

He's gone!

One chick flown and nine to go!

Suddenly, all the chicks seem to want to look out of the nest box hole and there is an almighty scramble to get at the desired spot.

Another chick thinks about it.  Will it go?

No, not just yet!

After that mad scramble, they all seem to have lost interest.

A parent comes to gee them up.  At this rate it will take all day for the entire brood to fledge.

None of them seems the slight bit interested.

Don't get excited - this is one of the parents!

The apathy doesn't last long - a few minutes later and another chick is looking out of the box.

Suddenly, chick number two makes the leap out of the nest box.

And now there are just 8 chicks left inside.