Bluetit Diary    Feb 2014 (1)

 

 

Tuesday 25 February 2014

After my initial post last November, there has been a resounding silence.  I now hope to restart this diary.

The second box was cleaned and mounted shortly after the first and since then many birds have investigated them both.  After 2 disappointing years, we thought it might be a good idea to move Box3.  However, before we had done this a bluetit started roosting in it!  It didn't last though and a week or two later it stopped roosting.  In spite of this we decided to give the box one last chance to redeem itself.  The main problem is that we really don't have an alternative place to locate it!

A pair of bluetits seem to have taken over Box1.  Here is the start of a fairly long, but typical, sequence.

The male has been popping in and out of the box for a while without managing to attract his partner over to came and inspect it.  Here he is emerging from the box.

As he emerges, he turns ...

... and lands on the roof.

He turns again ...

... and goes back to the box's entrance.

He has already looked in several times.  He has gone into the box quite a few times too, but all this fuss must be to attract his partner to come over and have a look.

She has probably been inside several times as well, but at this time of year it's all about "pair bonding"!

Having peered into the box again ...

... it's back to the roof!

I suppose all this does establish him as a worthy mate?

He must have seen his partner as this time ...

... he enters the box.

He hears her outside and so crouches down to keep out of the way of the female as she comes into the box.

Directly she comes into the box, the male departs. 

Off he goes.  There is no hesitation at all.

Off goes the male.

You often can't tell the difference between the male and the female at this time of year.  Later, the male's head feathers become more tousled and the female's head feathers look neat and tidy by comparison.

When the bluetits start to moult in the summer or early autumn, the males sometimes become completely bald!

The female doesn't stay long inside.

Away she goes.

I think we can be pretty certain that this box is already spoken for!