Blue Tits nesting habits,

Hi, I'm sat in my garden watching the blue tits busy building a nest in a nesting box I made and put up just two days ago. I'm so excited as it's our first experience and can't believe how mesmerising they are to watch. We feel so lucky. A new found hobby

Can anybody tell me what the tapping noise is coming from the inside of my blue tit box

We are also watching blue tits via a camera in a nesting box, at least 8 eggs. The strange thing is that two blue tits are sitting on the eggs most of the time, one sitting on top of the other. Is this unusual behaviour! We are in Surrey and it is not cold!

Today (12th December) I saw a couple of blue tits spending quite some time at the entrance to our bird box.

We do have them next each year but have never seen them paying the bird box any attention this time of year. Any ideas what they are doing..?

Also, I usually clean out the bird box about now, clean it completely out ready for spring but should I now leave this until next winter as the tits have started taking an interest in the box..?

Hi Neil, I would say it was a little early for blue tits to start looking for nesting sites which usually (from what I witnessed in our garden) began around early February so it may be that the birds are either seeking out insects or spiders inside/outside the box or checking it out for roosting in. We used to get tits doing this and also looking around the shed/roof/gutter areas for insects. Although I used to take my boxes down at end September time for cleaning, you could get the box down now for cleaning with hot soapy water; then thoroughly rinse out let it dry out completely (maybe inside a shed or the house) before placing it back up as soon as it is clean and dry. Do not add any nesting or roosting materials as the birds will take their own in. Good luck and hope the birds start using the box to roost in and then in early spring to build a nest in.

I only moved in November and put up feeders and boxes and after a few days am having lots of birds and blue tits claiming box, very exciting even the naughry squirrels are making themselves at home.