Bluetit Diary    May 2016 (17)

 

 

Sunday 22nd May, 2016

Another egg in Box1 bringing the total to 7!

Poppy has spent most of the day sitting on these eggs.  Incubation has definitely started!  I wonder whether she will lay any more.

But where is Patch?  Normally once incubation has started, the male pops in now and again with some food for his partner.  Poor Poppy, an incubating hen needs spoiling!

In Box2, Hugh is feeding the chicks.  There are only 7 visible, but I expect the other is just briefly hidden.

Hugh - again with only 7 chicks visible.  I hope chick number 8 is there somewhere and is OK.

That's better!  Here are 8 chicks with both mums.  Bess is on the left and Spikey on the right.

Hugh again - this time with 8 chicks.  Perhaps it was the mealworm that did the trick.

A rare spot of peace in the nest - and it shows that there at least 4 unhatched eggs.

Note that these are at the top of the picture.

Another peaceful view - and now the eggs are at the bottom of the picture!
Those eggs must be pretty tough to withstand the continual rough and tumble of life in the nest cup.

Mum (Spikey?) with 8 chicks.

The end of another day.  And this time there is only one female in the nest box.

It may look like two but that is because she is having to spread herself in order to cover the chicks.  I've had a look at the record and there is definitively only one hen there!