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Thought I'd try a snapshot diary.
Our first nest box two years ago was on the wall and sparrows raised two broods the first year and three last year.
This year they are busy building again but have made such a mess in there I will have to get in later today to trim the straw away from the camera before the clutch is laid.
Our new Tit box in the plum tree was coming along nicely.
Last year a nest box in the Silver Birch launched 13 baby Blue Tits into the world. The box has two opaque windows which were taped up last season. To improve the picture colour I removed the tape but it remained empty so I taped it up again. The female building in the Plum tree abandoned her efforts and moved into the bigger nest box in the Birch!
She is bringing in lots of fluff and feathers and should lay that first egg soon.
Here she is having a quick wiggle.
I have also found a hedge sparrows nest in a conifer under the window, four little gapes already.
I was going to overhaul that area of the garden but that is all on hold now.
How are every one's nest boxes doing?
Swallows are here so I'm hopeful of a return as there are two old nests under the eaves.
Hi Dangerous,
It's all very exciting. Any more developments today?
When I scatter my mealworms, twice a day, I get the obvious customers - starlings, sparrows and jackdaws. I noticed today the one visiting great tit wasn't interested. They were there for the picking but he prefered to grub about under some plants, grab a beakful of suet, one seed, and then left again!
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Well the four sparrow chicks are doing well with mum and dad taking the mealworms.
There are now seven blue tit babies I think.
Mum sits tight a lot of the time with dad flying in maybe every few minutes with food. He's obviously found some really yummy place. He usually comes in to the nest but a funny thing happened earlier.
She was out and he came in, fed one nestling then sat on them (males don't brood). When she returned she sat very heavily on him, wiggling like they do when they are nest building. He wasn't moving so she wiggled more and more; still no joy so she dived into the bottom of the nest cup and turfed him out.
Since then she has taken food from him outside the nest box.
I remember last year the weather was appalling around hatching time and I had three mealworm stations. This time the blueys aren't touching them, there is plenty of more natural food around.
Meanwhile the mealworms are getting nice and fat on two weetabix a day ready for when it rains.
The blue tits are ignoring the mealworms by and large, I think they took one or two, but the hoverflies and spiders are coming thick and fast this morning.
A couple of the chicks have downy top knots.
One more egg hatched last night making that chick 36hours younger than the rest. His chances will be slim I fear.