Great Tits Still Using Nest Box?

Very late for any breeding but could the box be in use as as shelter or for roosting ?

hi we have nest boxes round the garden and also have noticed birds flying in and out of them so we have been keeping watch and we think they are roosting one as 2 jenny wrens the other is used by blue tits and seen one great tit go into one of the others we see them early in the morning leaving nest boxes they donot appear to go near it through the day but go into it as its getting dusk so I would suggest your birds would be doing the same its usually round about 4.30ish they go in and come out again a few times then back in have sat watching for over and hour and didn't see them come back out. 5.30pm now we are lucky are garden is lit up all night due to factory units backing onto our garden take care pauline

Hi Red dolphin

It would be very late indeed if they were still feeding young, stranger things have happened but I think it is unliekly. Look to see if the birds entering the box are doing so with food in their beaks, if they are not, the chances are they are either looking for shelter to roost in as Pauline explained, or they are prospecting, looking at potential nesting sites for next spring. It may seem a bit early for this but blue and great tits will be checking out these sites throughout the winter, often pecking around the hole or going in and out.

If you intend on cleaning the box, do so in the morning, remove any nest material, give it a quick brush out and then pop it straight back up.

Sounds like it could be the roosting thing. We have a pair of Blue tits that have been coming back to the nest box in the late afternoon/dusk this last few days as the temperature is falling.

Rob.