Ungrateful bluetit

LOL  What I can't understand is why doesn't he roost in the bush across the garen with the rest of them - unless he wants it for nesting.  Maybe I will have to set up another camera and box

Hello Stokkers, we don't have sparrows in our garden, but they all live in the hedgerows of a nearby farm. Three years ago we had to enlarge the entrance to one of our blue tit boxes as the sparrows were determined to use it. They have used it since then and reared their young. We were so pleased as the blue tits used the other boxes and all were happy. Our boxes are used every year and I wouldn't decide yet that your box definitely won't be used this year. 

Hi Brenda,

Have the sparrows started to nest in your boxes this year? I ask because I have 3 sparrow boxes but haven't noticed any activity. However, they haven't got cameras and are on the back wall of our house, so unless I stand at the bottom of the garden and watch all day I wouldn't expect to notice activity.  I am not about to do that unless the temperatures rise by 10 degrees and the rain stops!!

Hi Sparrow. I have seen them goling in and out, but I am pretty sure they are not seriously building nests yet. I know the so called rule books say things but I firmly believe that the birds understand nature/ weather far better than we do and they know when to nest, even though there are times when the weather still catches them out. I always find it so intriguing that the blue tits time their hatching with the oak tree caterpillar.  

Thanks Brenda,

I haven't seen any signs of my sparrows collecting nest material, although I have seen the blue tit, blackbirds and starlings collecting it.

I am a firm believer in animals of all species understanding nature better than we do, and sometimes I think we perhaps have a tendancy to interfere when we should leave well alone. I have noticed how the birds will have a frenzied attack on the suet pellets and other fat things one day and perhaps a more gentle approach another day. I am convinced the frenzy is due to instinct that a cold, frosty night is expected.

Hi Brenda et al,

We have a box high up on the wall of the house which has been used by sparrows for the last two years. The first year I think there were 4 or 5 broods reared, is this usual? Would they all be different pairs, or some breeding again? We have 3 feeders containing seeds, peanuts and fat balls which are mostly frequented by sparrows - we counted 20 in the area once, and they are by far the most common species.

Last year only two broods were raised. The second one came to a bad end. One morning we found two dead and rather under-developed youngsters outside, and another two in the garden who were slightly older, but had hardly any tail feathers so couldn't fly properly. We also spotted the male going in and out of the box, but there was no sign of the female. The young ones were calling frequently, within earshot (if not sight) of the male, who was also calling, but he made no attempt to seek them out or feed them. Two days later, after a bad storm, they had vanished, and I think they must have died. It was a real pity, as they were nearly fledged, and a few days of attention from the male would probably have saved them. I suspect the female had been killed; is it usual for the male to abandon the youngsters when this happens?

We noticed a male sparrow coming in and out of the box this winter, so we think he was roosting there. I decided to clean out the nestbox about 2 weeks ago, as it was almost full of grass and moss, and rather dirty, if cosy. Was this the right thing to do, or should I have left it as it was? We did this the year before too. I only used water to remove the poo from the insides of the box, as I was worried that disinfectant or even soap might deter the birds.

There has been a pair coming in and out for about a week now, with bits of nesting material occasionally poking out of the box. Do you think they are nest building in earnest, or just making it more comfortable for roosting in?

JudiM, that's a great picture of the young blue tit :-) We have a couple visiting our garden occasionally, along with a great tit and more commonly a coal tit (we're in Cumbria). None of the tits have ever nested, although a pair of blue tits did take an initial interest in one of the other boxes last year. Apart from the one which is now firmly occupied by sparrows, we had two boxes, both in trees. I took one down last year as it was falling apart (none of these are ours I hasten to add, they were put up by the previous owners), but the other one is still there, if a little green! It is in an apple tree, and would probably be accessible to cats; there are 3 which visit the garden occasionally, but only one - a wily old black and white tom - ever stays for long. This is certainly not a 'catty' area.

Is it too late to put up new boxes? I know the birds need to get accustomed to them. Would they be put off by the box(es) being low down in trees; should we put them on the house wall instead? Presumably the holes need to be the right size to attract a given species of bird.....

I would like at some stage to fit cameras to one or more boxes; any advice on this would be much appreciated.

Haha LOL Sparrow

A bit of sparring talk going on there

Regards

Kathy and Dave

Woodpecker said:

I have been advised by many people that it is the male who makes the mess and the female who cleans it up. Nothing new there then.

LOL at this comment Sparrow How true !!!

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Hi Brenda

Just catching up with the current threads as they are moving along so fast at the moment.  I am the cows tail once more. Trying to work out who is where at the moment.

{Looking forward to seeing Dave at the moment as he is making his way back in the middle of the night - just got phone call}

Brenda: So true about birds and all wildlife.  They are a lot more tougher than we take them credit for.

I think that birds do have a built in clock that tells them when it is safe to nest, and raise a family.

A lot of it is to do with the food source that they require to sustain them. 

All humans need to do is go to the supermarket and that is us sorted

Birds on the other hand need to have that built in 6th sense to survive all types of situations.  In human terms they are stronger than us in many ways.  Put's us at shame.

Regards

Kathy and Dave

Unknown said:

Hi Sparrow. I have seen them goling in and out, but I am pretty sure they are not seriously building nests yet. I know the so called rule books say things but I firmly believe that the birds understand nature/ weather far better than we do and they know when to nest, even though there are times when the weather still catches them out. I always find it so intriguing that the blue tits time their hatching with the oak tree caterpillar.