There's still nothing much happening in Box2. Here the great tit comes visiting again. However, after a cursory glance in the box, he flies off again.
Over at Box1 we start with a few shots of Ella flying. Here she is taking nesting material out of the box. Why she does this, I really don't know. Sometimes bluetits appear to temporarily remove as much nesting material as they bring in!
And here she is bringing some back in again!
I'm not even sure if this is Ella - it could of course also be Ernie - but its a nice picture anyway!
Another fine shot. Of course all of these were taken automatically by the iCatcher software system.
Ella decided that she didn't like this long cord-like thing in her nest box, but it appears to have become caught up inside the box, so her flight came to an abrupt halt. She eventually untangled it and removed it.
Sunday 21st March, 2021
Today we start with Box2 where the lack of progress has been very frustrating. I have looked up the latest that nest building has started and find it was 15th April in 2005 when I had given up on a bluetit and made the entrance bigger so that a great tit could get in. There were a couple of 9th April starts too, so I mustn't give up all hope for Box2.
The latest a was a very exceptional situation in 2008 when a bluetit started building, but deserted the nest before it was finished. After making the hole bigger, a great tit decided to take it as its own on 7th May, completed the nest the following day, and laid her first egg on 9th May. She must have been desperate!
Scruffy has come for another of his irregular visits to Box2.
At least he regularly goes inside the box.
He still doesn't seem to do much while he is inside.
Well not normally! This time he is taking more interest in one of the holes in the floor.
And now in another ...
... and now with the side of the box. That's most unusual for Scruffy. I wonder if it means he has found a partner?
He didn't stay long. After a couple of minutes he's off!
A couple of hours later he is back again.
This time he is more like his normal self - uninterested in his surroundings.
Back in Box1, I've shown another swap-over just to show you that Ernie is still around.
And another. In comes Ella ...
... and out goes Ernie!
Ella always seems surprised to see Ernie go!
Anyway, she does a nesting wriggle.
And another 5 seconds later.
Ella is still bringing the odd beakful of nesting material into Box1.