She's got the hang of it now, and what a beautiful day for it! Just a short clip (at 4x speed) taken about 16:20 to show where she has got to. Looking good...
Sunday, 14 April 2013
Saturday, 13 April 2013
Like a dream come true...
So, Saturday afternoon - the rain is now tipping down, and every sensible Blue Tit in SW London is sheltering somewhere else. However, lots to report, and the signs are looking good...
Firstly, she is still roosting every night. We thought once it got warmer she might stop, but she has come in every night for the last two weeks. She is getting slightly later each evening, and makes frequent trips in and out before settling down. I won't waste your bandwidth - the videos below are completely typical.
Secondly, we are now Blue Tit experts, having devoured the excellent British Tits by Christopher Perrins. I think it is out of print, but Amazon sell a Kindle version, and it is compulsive reading. Best of all it explains a number of things we have seen - starting with the fact that the female roosts in the nest box for a couple of weeks prior to nesting!
Firstly, she is still roosting every night. We thought once it got warmer she might stop, but she has come in every night for the last two weeks. She is getting slightly later each evening, and makes frequent trips in and out before settling down. I won't waste your bandwidth - the videos below are completely typical.
Secondly, we are now Blue Tit experts, having devoured the excellent British Tits by Christopher Perrins. I think it is out of print, but Amazon sell a Kindle version, and it is compulsive reading. Best of all it explains a number of things we have seen - starting with the fact that the female roosts in the nest box for a couple of weeks prior to nesting!
One other behavioural feature Perrins describes is the way the female rubs her stomach on the floor and pushes the nesting material to the side with her feet. Perfectly demonstrated in today's nest building clip:
And yes, that is firstly a shed load of nesting material you see, and secondly it is quite different in nature from the pieces of moss she has been taking in and out for the last week or so.
We have concluded that we have new Blue Tits - this is their first breeding season, and they are having to work everything out from first principles. They appear to be getting the hang of it though, and they are around for big chunks of the day.
Finally, our nest box is now part of a real scientific survey. The British Trust for Ornithology have a nest box survey, and we are contributing daily data. Anyone can help, so if you have a box, here is the link...
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Still in business - we think!
Lots of activity over the last few days, although this evening the box is still completely empty of nesting material. It was much warmer today (as high as 10 degrees C!), and at a mid morning check we saw plenty of material.
However, immediately after (and just like every other day), over the next hour every scrap of moss was removed. Here is the action with the dull bits edited out and speeded up to crack through an hour in three and a half minutes...
But better news a) they are still interested (that drumming action is either a wannabe woodpecker or serious prospecting), b) they aren't taking the material anywhere else, just dropping it outside the box, and c) I have found this blog which describes very similar behaviour last year.
Nature Watch 2012
The entry for 9th April shows material being taken out and by 12th proper building was in progress. Although the blog stops abruptly after Dad had stopped showing up, they at least got to the hatching stage.
And finally, we are still providing overnight accommodation for the eighth night in a row. Slightly later tonight, settling down about 19:20. Here's some more rapid play footage (guess what I learned on iMovie today).
However, immediately after (and just like every other day), over the next hour every scrap of moss was removed. Here is the action with the dull bits edited out and speeded up to crack through an hour in three and a half minutes...
But better news a) they are still interested (that drumming action is either a wannabe woodpecker or serious prospecting), b) they aren't taking the material anywhere else, just dropping it outside the box, and c) I have found this blog which describes very similar behaviour last year.
Nature Watch 2012
The entry for 9th April shows material being taken out and by 12th proper building was in progress. Although the blog stops abruptly after Dad had stopped showing up, they at least got to the hatching stage.
And finally, we are still providing overnight accommodation for the eighth night in a row. Slightly later tonight, settling down about 19:20. Here's some more rapid play footage (guess what I learned on iMovie today).
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
Easter update
Thanks to those clever people at logmein.com we have managed to get a fair amount of footage during the Easter break despite being in Sheffield. Lot's of depressing footage of grand larceny, with what looks like competing Blue Tits - one pretty incompetent one making half hearted attempts to stockpile moss, the other stealing it away.
But, that aside, we now have an overnight lodger!
This is the third night that the box is occupied by a roosting Blue Tit, and better still, look at this odd behaviour we captured tonight...
Our black-splotches-on-his-cheek pops in, checks everything is all right, before summoning his mate. Twenty seconds later, in she comes, and gets ready to settle down for the night.
She spent about four of five minutes shuffling round, obviously slowing down, before doing that amazing thing Blue Tits do to keep warm at night - blow themselves up. Apologies for the longish clip, but she starts underneath, with her downy feathers expanding to trap air, before inflating her back feathers and sticking her head under her wing. Nifty to say the least...
It is now April, and if these characters don't get on with it very soon, we are going to draw a blank this year too. Roosting is a good start though - we are still hoping for some nest building action!!
But, that aside, we now have an overnight lodger!
This is the third night that the box is occupied by a roosting Blue Tit, and better still, look at this odd behaviour we captured tonight...
Our black-splotches-on-his-cheek pops in, checks everything is all right, before summoning his mate. Twenty seconds later, in she comes, and gets ready to settle down for the night.
She spent about four of five minutes shuffling round, obviously slowing down, before doing that amazing thing Blue Tits do to keep warm at night - blow themselves up. Apologies for the longish clip, but she starts underneath, with her downy feathers expanding to trap air, before inflating her back feathers and sticking her head under her wing. Nifty to say the least...
It is now April, and if these characters don't get on with it very soon, we are going to draw a blank this year too. Roosting is a good start though - we are still hoping for some nest building action!!
Thursday, 28 March 2013
"Stealing" material?!
We've had plenty of sightings of Blue Tits going in and out of the box, but a very modest (i.e. virtually no) addition of material to what should become the nest. And now this...
I may be being paranoid, but is that a tiny piece of moss she's actually removing from the nest?!
Nest building is normally the first couple of weeks of April, and given the near zero temperatures there is every possibility it could even be slightly later. Starting to worry this might be another false start though.
Keep watching...
We are.
I may be being paranoid, but is that a tiny piece of moss she's actually removing from the nest?!
Nest building is normally the first couple of weeks of April, and given the near zero temperatures there is every possibility it could even be slightly later. Starting to worry this might be another false start though.
Keep watching...
We are.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
2013 is a whole new year...
So regular readers will have have deduced that we drew a blank in 2012. I was worried that with a poor summer for Blue Tits, we might struggle to attract tenants this year as well, but I have now seen enough positive signs to warrant a post.
In the last week of February we saw Blue Tits entering and leaving the box, but weren't quick enough to snag any video. Then on 3rd March, we had a double visitation - note the two birds, one with a black dot on (his I think) cheeks, the other with cleaner white patches.
Also, notice how clean the box is. Just the dead spider and a bit of dust. That is important, because look at this!
The white cheeked bird today, 17th March, testing the box is sound by tapping it with her bill. She also appears to be testing the space by spreading her wings to check she could cover her clutch (the reason I think this one is the female). And look! A straggly bit of moss, and some other wispy things (possibly from the Fiesta Nester) can only be one thing. Nesting material!
Black spot is still around too. Although he will ultimately do nothing to help build the nest, he is still happy to help with the house hunting. Here he was earlier today.
We are in a state of high excitement here - will 2013 be the year? We'll keep you posted.
In the last week of February we saw Blue Tits entering and leaving the box, but weren't quick enough to snag any video. Then on 3rd March, we had a double visitation - note the two birds, one with a black dot on (his I think) cheeks, the other with cleaner white patches.
Also, notice how clean the box is. Just the dead spider and a bit of dust. That is important, because look at this!
The white cheeked bird today, 17th March, testing the box is sound by tapping it with her bill. She also appears to be testing the space by spreading her wings to check she could cover her clutch (the reason I think this one is the female). And look! A straggly bit of moss, and some other wispy things (possibly from the Fiesta Nester) can only be one thing. Nesting material!
Black spot is still around too. Although he will ultimately do nothing to help build the nest, he is still happy to help with the house hunting. Here he was earlier today.
We are in a state of high excitement here - will 2013 be the year? We'll keep you posted.
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