Hello
Can anyone advise? I left a heavy roll of roofing tar paper for a shed leaning against my house wall over winter. The roll has a hole on the centre about 4 inches across and now there is a blue tit nest at the bottom of the ‘tube’ created by the central hole. The roll is about 3ft wide so this ‘tube’ is 3ft high and the nest is on the ground at the bottom of the tube created by the roll. I can see adults flying out of the top of the roll so they must be able to fly up the 3ft high shaft from the ground where the nest is. I am amazed that they can fly vertically up a 4 inch wide hole 3ft high but I am worried that the fledglings will not be able to fly vertically up this tube to fledge! Should I simply trust that the adults would not have built a nest at the bottom of the hole if the fledglings would not be able to fly out of it or should I be prepared to lift the tar paper of, leaving the nest exposed at the bottom when the time comes? And if so, how would I know when that is? I do have a cat and I would definitely lock her indoors before I did that.
Nature can be very innovative when it needs to be, all you can do is just trust the blue tits, whether they have built a nest at the bottom or not.
If there is a nest at the bottom, then it MUST be left undisturbed, and let nature take its course. It may seem harsh, but that's what you'll have to do, as per the Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981.
What you can do is observe from a safe distance.
An even better idea, if possible, is to erect a proper blue tit nest box, and though it may be a bit late for this year, keep it clean and you could have some birds nesting next year.