Hello,
I have a nesting box with a camera in my garden, a bluetit has laid 8 eggs there of which 7 hatched about four days ago, all seemed to be going well albeit with just one parent feeding. The adult was last i9n the nest at 0935 today. At 1059, while the adult was out of the nest a bluebottle entered the nesting box, at 1135 the adult returned but just hang around the box without entering, the bluebottle was still in there at this time. it is now 1319 and she has yet to return. Would the presence of the bluebottle stop the adult entering the nest? How long will the chicks survive without further feeding? What can I do is she does not come back, how long should I wait?