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In time for Spring 2009 we replaced a previously used nestbox in our garden with one containing a video camera. Last year we had some interest in the box but no nest building.
This year interest has been evident again with sightings of blue tits pecking around inside the box and also extending their wings in the box - are they checking it for size?
On Friday we were excited to see that nest material was being taken into the box, but then later disappeared. Over the last few days, I've seen a blue tit taking nest material into the box, but we're also seeing it being taken out. Blue tit enters box, picks up piece of material, and takes it out. This has continued this morning (Tuesday 16th March 2010).
Has anyone else experienced similar? What eventually happened? Is this competition for the same nest space?
We're watching this sort of behaviour right now - and have done every year since we had our first camera equipped box in 2001. It's almost certainly the same female taking stuff in then out again - she should settle down eventually. If you go to the Overview page of our bluetit website ( http://www.biggonline.co.uk/ ) you'll see the dates of significant events in our boxes - it's early days yet!
Hello Fisher & Thompson,
Welcome to the forum - a good place to be for tips and advice.
Elibee has responded to your post, and she is the expert on blue tit nesting. Good luck with your box, and fingers crossed you get a nest full of babies.
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Unknown said:It's almost certainly the same female taking stuff in then out again
Any idea why she does that?
BB
Badgerbread said: It's almost certainly the same female taking stuff in then out again Any idea why she does that? BB [/quote] We reckon that it's a sign to other birds that the box is "reserved" - even though she's not ready to start serious nest building yet. She also performs what we call a "nesting wriggle", when she presses her breast down and extends her wings as she moves across the box - probably a practice run of forming the nest cup later on. NB - this is just from our own observations!!!
It's almost certainly the same female taking stuff in then out again
We reckon that it's a sign to other birds that the box is "reserved" - even though she's not ready to start serious nest building yet.
She also performs what we call a "nesting wriggle", when she presses her breast down and extends her wings as she moves across the box - probably a practice run of forming the nest cup later on.
NB - this is just from our own observations!!!
Thanks for your answer. That and the increase in activity of nesting material being taken into our box has reassured us that all is normal. We've also seen this wriggling behaviour with the wings extended and wondered if the box was being tested to make sure it was big enough. Your suggestion as to this being how the nest cup is shaped seems very plausible.