Bluetit Diary    May 2013 (3)

 

 

Monday 6th May 2013

When will Scruff stop laying eggs?

I think this might be 17 eggs. 

As the number of eggs increases, it becomes more and more difficult to count them!

The fact that this picture was taken in the early morning with the sunlight shining directly onto the nest cup doesn't help either!

Scruff comes in with a beak full of material for finishing of the nest.  Sally seems to think it is some food for her!

Scruff doesn't seem to know quite what to do with it.

In the end, she just drops it on the floor of the nest box.

Directly after this, Sam comes into the nest box with some real food (a mealworm!).  Both females beg for it!

Sam gives it to the nearest female - which happens to be Scruff!

(Makes you think doesn't it - surely if Scruff's eggs are fertile, Sam must be the male responsible!)

Just as Scruff at the top of the picture appears to have the mealworm all to herself, Sally wakes up and makes a grab for it.

This prompts Scruff to try to leave just as Sam is about to go.

When they have sorted themselves out and left, Sally is alone in the box again.

As I have said before, and will no doubt say again, with this number of eggs in the nest cup it is very difficult to count them accurately.  However, I think this shows 17 eggs.