Hi, I really need some advice, I've just discovered my old bird box has baby blue tit's in it but where it is if we get high winds it could get blown off, it's literally outside my front door, I only put it there while I was sorting out my personal balcony but a family have moved into it. Do you think it would be OK to move it over by a few inches to try to keep them safe?
UPDATE: Well it looks like the nest was there a lot longer than i thought! Yesterday for most of the day there were little heads popping in and out of the whole for most of the day. And last night mummy great tit spent the night in the box as usual. 5am this morning mummy great tit left as usual to lots of shouting and flurrying from the box... this was when I went to bed (I'm a bit of a night owl so I know the time she leaves).
Since I've been up the box is completely silent with no heads popping in and out and mummy hasn't been back, she has however been to my feeder on the other side of the house, so I'm wondering if they've left the nest, they definitely looked big enough to when I saw them yesterday. So now what do I do, do I check the box an see if it needs cleaning out or do I wait a few days an just keep an eye on it?
As this is an active nest you are not legally allowed to interfere in any way as it could cause the parents to abandon the chicks but looks, to me, as if you could very quickly place a brick beside the box to add stability ... my own personal opinion so please wait for others suggestions! Also, not a good idea to place food so close to the nest box as it could attract unwanted attention from other birds which could also scare parents away, hopefully the chicks will fledge soon and BT's only have one brood per year!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Sounds like a good idea, will ask around close by to see if I can get hold of one
Agree with Wendy, do not interfere with the nest but you can quickly set a brick, block anything heavy that will support the box until you place it where you want it next year, NE facing, but you maybe know that anyway. Let us know what happens with your box? Also, yes remove the food, if will encourage other birds who may predate the box
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Thanks, I have very quietly placed a brick next to it, I waited till quite late so as not to be seen by mummy or daddy bluetit, and also removed the food from next to the box. I actually have bird feeders on the balcony on the other side of my flat which I think they've been coimg to.
I've also told my family to look where they're walking when they leave the house, just in case little ones are learning to fly. Although at the moment they sound very young and I don't know much about baby birds, or how long they've been there.
Hi Anii
Well done, here is a link for you to look at, to help you learn about the Blue Tit family.
www.google.com/url
Think the birds in my nest box are great tits, don't really know much about birds other than to photograph them. Will add a video of mummy bird coming and going, mummy is very fast but was quite happy to ignore my door being ajar while I took the video on my phone. I try hard not to go out there while she's about and always check through the spyhole in the front door. I'm still surprised they nested as the box was only put there while I cleaned off my balcony on the other side of the flat lol
Definitely Great Tit Anii, thanks for sharing footage and for taking great care not to spook her into abandoning the chicks ... hope they all progress well to fledging!
Thanks for sharing your video Anii, yes re Wendy post, Great Tit, good to see you are being sensible and not going near, it is so easy to want to. Keep an eye out for the fledglings and let us know what happens.