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This is my 1st Post on here so hope you can help
I have a web cam nest box and Blue Tits have nested in there yearly. This year 8 eggs were laid & 7 hatched but one by one the babies are dying . A few died very young. We went down to 5 babies - they now have feathers and are at the preening stage and look a good size. Since yesterday morning - there is now definetely only 4. I'm worried and just don't know why this could be happening!! Is it the weather or some disease??? The parents are doing a good job feeding them. I almost dreading checking on them each day just incase anoher one is missing.
Still have two chicks this evening, I just hope that they may survive. With regard to location and weather conditions, I live in North Somerset and the birds started to nest-build during an unseasonal week of warm weather in March. Following that it turned cool/cold and very wet. It has stayed that way until yesterday when it brightened up and got a bit warmer.
I don't know if it is relevant but up to now I haven't seen the infestation of caterpillars on nettles yet. Not taken much notice in the past so can't say if it is late or not. I do remember in other years though seeing masses of caterpillars on nettles at some time of the year.
I have just written to North Somerset Council tonight though, complaining that our playing fields verges (mainly nettle) are being chemically sprayed again this week.
Still have two this evening, both look strong and appear to be being fed equally. A glimmer of hope has arisen from the ashes of despair. Have noticed more green caterpillars being fed to these two so everything crossed for them (the birds not the caterpillars).
Beautiful photos, you should be very proud of them.
good news old sailor. Keep us posted!
When I set up my camera nestbox in mid February and a bluetit started to roost within 2 weeks I was pretty excited but then when I got back from a holiday to find 9 eggs there too I was totally amazed. Unfortunately I have been thro' a steep 'natural world' learning curve. There are now just 3 chicks. Not just one by one but over one night 3 chicks just disappeared. I did some research and didn't really like what I found out.
Now I'm becoming more philosophical about it all. Mother Nature is a cruel mistress indeed.
A lot of us were influenced by Naturewatch on telly...how many used camera nestboxes will be up for sale on e-bay next year?
I'm so pleased to hear that you have 2 healthy youngsters. I guess I'm fortunate as I have 4 that are now looking as if they will be leaving the nest soon so judging by all the other comments...from 8 eggs to have 4 healthy youngters is more of a a plus than a negative. I had to go away overnight but couldn't wait to get back just to make sure they were still O.K. ..it is captivating viewing. My 'babies' are speading & fluttering their wings so it won't be long now. I haven't noticed many caterpillars or the like being fed to the brood but I have noticed that they are making good use of the seeders and fat balls so may be they are being lazy but as long as they are healthy it doesn't matter.
Hi Miki. I understand what your saying that camera boxes can and do cause distress when things go wrong, My GT,s had a bad time this year, well not too bad a time, 10 eggs, 10 chicks, 6 survived to fledge, last year 11 Blue tits hatched and fledged, but 2 previous years all clutches 100% failures. Odd's are bad but the success's are good, but that' s nature
Camera,s are good and bad, as Doggie says he doesn't have camera boxes as too upsetting.
What I'm saying is the watching when it goes right enjoy it.
Cheers Richard
hi richard, first time i have been on this site and really upset that all our 6 baby blue tits have all died. we noticed 2 days ago that the female blue tit had not been around all day and then today we realised the male blue tit had not been around at all today. we decided to have a look in the the nest box and sadly we found 6 dead chicks in there. How upset we were as last year we had 5 healthy chicks fledge. we dont know what happened but how sad. Hopefully next year will be more happier. Have u any idea what may have caused this or what may have happened, many thanks.
Hi Yosa. The concenus on this among others on the site is the sudden cold snap we've had which affected the food supply. I noticed that the parents were making fewer food deliveries.
Richard
Hi Yosa
Seems like I spoke too soon. Lost one chick yesterday and the adults appear to have given up on the solitary remaining chick today and abandoned it.
I would like to know from more experienced contributors what I should do now. Do I clean the nest out completley and wash the box, or do I leave it a while?
I have read that second clutches are rare but a friend of mine had two last year, with one following almost immediately after the first fledged.
I would like to thank everyone here for their input, I would have been feling pretty awful now if I thought I was the only on to have lost all 'their chicks'.