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Thought it might be nice to have a thread to share all our old stories of birds in the nestboxes!
When I was under 12, we had a nestbox at the back of the house slightly below and to the side of my bedroom window. This was a box that my dad, brother and I had made ourselves and we had blue tits nesting in it every year! Of course, as it was close to my window I could hear the chicks cheeping away inside the box and by sitting in the back garden I would watch the parents come and go for ages - especially when it started to reach fledging time for the chicks inside! Alas, they always seemed to leave the nest box when I wasn't there, I'd arrive home from school and they would be loads of blue tit chicks in the garden!
I've only ever had blue tits actually nest in the boxes I've put up though, nothing else!
Millie & Fly the Border Collies
We had blue-tits nesting last year and they successfully raised a brood, although we didn’t see them fledge as we were away on holiday. We bought a camera nest-box from Aldi (superb value) but it was put up too late to take advantage of the nesting season; it seems that the birds decide very early on in the year which sites they will nest in.
Anyway we now have a female blue-tit roosting in the camera nest-box. She comes to the apple tree in the next door garden at dusk with her mate (I feel sure it is the same couple that nested last year). The male waits in the apple tree until she is settled and then he goes to roost in one of our other nest-boxes. It seems they are sleeping in separate beds until the nuptials are official!
We had the camera plugged into our TV but it was taking up a vital scart socket so I went to Maplin electronics today and purchased a video capture device (with software) and other connections so that I now have my laptop monitoring the nest-box. Using the software, I can also record any footage and burn it to disc. The guys at Maplin were extemely helpful with the choice of connections.
It is amazing to watch how the little bird fluffs up her feathers so that she is about twice her apparent size before she settles down to sleep.
I hope she decides to use the camera nest-box to rear her young in.
Hi Christine, and welcome to the forum.
You must be very excited about your blue tits. It sounds like she has claimed the camera box. What a lovely mate she has, making sure she is settled before he goes off to bed - and waiting for the nuptuals before joining her!!!!
May all your joys be chicks!
Cheers, Linda.
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We have had an old, fairly large, bright blue enamelled tea pot with a white interior for many years. On moving to our present home nearly 30 years ago, I hid the teapot - with the spout pointing down - in the hedge at the bottom of the garden, much to the amusement of our two young daughters. It has proven to be popular with the robins and in the winter we often find wood mice using an old nest. These old nests are always removed around March time and just a few twigs and moss put in as an inducement to any prospective homeseekers! It usually works. We were given an open-fronted nestbox this year, to add to the three other boxes we have. It was placed fairly high up in the ivy on the pergola in the hope of attracting blackbirds. Despite my tried and tested twigs and moss inducements, it went unused; that is until my wife pointed out the nest built on the roof of the nestbox complete with a clutch of four eggs! This pair went on to have two more succesful broods in the same nest in 2009.
That's lovely RMJH!!! Thanks for sharing! And welcome to the forum!!
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
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