Blue Tit help / knowledge needed!

Hello there,

I'm very new to bird watching / caring. I live in London with a balcony so I am doing what I can to care for local birds. 

Luckily in front of my balcony I have a large communal garden with lots of trees and shrubs so do get a lot of different birds. In the spring / summer we had an influx of blue tits and fledglings! I immediately bought a bird feeder (attached to my balcony railings) and they fed every day on there, it's so close to my window so I was able to enjoy observing their hilarious behaviour! They really do have the best characters! 

Now winter is creeping in I only have one blue tit that comes to feed everyday at exactly the same time 8am, without fail they're there. They often use the feeder just to perch on and look around and it looks so relaxed! 

The temp is getting colder so I'd done some research as I was concerned that the bushes it usually shelters in are getting more bare so I've bought a roosting box! The side is fit for a blue tit and I've put good quality field hay inside. I've attached it on my balcony fence with a clear flight path, east facing and slightly sheltered. 

I guess my question for you guys is, when is it likely to use the box and what signs can I look out for to show that it may be noticing it or be interested? I have noticed it seems to be hanging on the bird feeder longer than usual which is located approximately a metre and a half away. 

Any help, guidance or general tips would be gratefully appreciated! 

Thank-you,

Charlotte :) 

  • We have lots of blue tits and favourite food is sunflower hearts
  • Hello Charlotte, sorry no one has answerd you. Sometimes posts can get missed amongst the many. Welcome from Caithness, up at the very top of Scotland. That is nice for you that the wee Blue Tit has come to your feeder and you are able to watch it. As far as the nest box you have done everything correct, east facing, sheltered and a clear pathway. Now that the bird has been feeding at your balcony, it will get used to the box being there and will hopefully inspect it and use it for roosting. This is what is may be doing when lingering on the feeder? I know when they are nesting, they like to take in their own materials, I am unsure when there are roosting will they use a box that has material in there or would they take their own in. If you see a mess on the balcony floor you know it wanted its own bedding! When inspecting a box for nesting they will look at different boxes to see which one they fancy using, they will hang onto the hole and peck around it, go inside and flap about, all part of deciding if it is going to be the one, keep watching to see what happens. Hopefully next year you may have it being used as a nest box. Good luck, keep us updated.

    Edit - As I was typing my reply I see Wendy has already answerd.