Bluetit Diary    Mar 2017 (1)

 

 

Wednesday 1st March, 2017

This is the latest this diary has ever been started.  Which is rather odd because the boxes were cleaned out and remounted back in November, which is much earlier than usual.  My only excuse is that the task of converting past diary pages to the current format has taken me much longer than I had hoped - and is still not completed!

Today, two things happened which made it imperative that I restart the diary.  First, we saw our hedgehog back in the garden for the first time this year, and second, Box2 had some nesting material taken into it.

First, Box1.  This box has had several visitors, but at this stage it is not clear whether there is more than one bird visiting!

Why do all our birds appear fascinated by the camera at the top of the box?  I suppose the fact that the box is bigger than most possible nesting sites and has something glittering at the top must have something to do with it.

Here our visitor looks as though he is waiting for something to happen - perhaps a visit from his partner?

During the day he visits several times, but so far his partner has not shown up.

Box2 is looking much more positive.  A pair of bluetits have definitely staked their claim to this box and this morning things moved to the next stage when the female started bring in nesting material.  Here she is with the first beakful of the year!

It's not much - just a small beakful of dried grass - but it is a start, which is more than you can say for what is happening in our other two boxes.

This looks more like it - a wodge of moss.

Still, I mustn't get too excited - she will probably have taken it all out again by the end of the day!

After she landed in the box, she seemed to place the moss carefully on the floor - as though she appreciated the fact that this will be the first of very many such loads!

You don't think she is serious about nest building do you?  This is quite a reasonable load.

I think this must be the male to see what's going on.

While he is still in the box, the female returns with more nesting material.

 
She immediately drops it and lands on the far side of the box.

Surprisingly, he does not immediately head for the exit, but stays still while she edges closer.

Finally, it is too much for him and he leaves the nest box . . .

 . . .leaving the female alone in the box.

At the end of the day, Box2 still looks much the same. 

While Box1, though still being visited, shows no sign of any nesting activity.

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