I have just put a blue/ great tit box up today. Is it possible it might be used this year for a nesting pair? I know it’s probably too late for Blue tits but what about great tits? I know that the weather can affect when they nest so I live in South Devon if that makes any difference.?
Some info on BT nesting ...
https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/articles/blue-tit-diary
GT nesting here ...
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/birds/great-tit/
Is the hole big enough for a GT?
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Yes
Not too late, esp looking at what happened last year. 'Normal breeding' attempts were a disaster, but later ones (either trying again, or delayed) faired much better last year. Both species therefore can breed a bit later.
That’s made my day! I did wonder with all the rain that we have had recently whether that would push the breeding season back a bit.
we put a box up back in February but it was too near our kitchen door. Plenty of interest from both great tits and blue blue tits but the box has gone quiet.
I’m not aware of what happened last year. Was the breeding season delayed because of the weather?
Yes. Very poor Spring weather for many species of caterpillars in 2023. We have had a cold spell til recently, but looks ok (assuming forecast is right) for the foreseeable future. Might work against your nestbox for this season......I guess only time will tell. FYI, I'm in Glos area, and both blue and great tits are incubating.....not got nestbox cameras, but behaviour suggests still around and underway.
I’m confused, in your first message you said it wasn’t too late for my nest box and that last years ‘normal breeding’ season meant that later attempts at breeding, trying again or dellayed were more successful. Then in your last message you say that the recent cold spell with weather improving might work against my nestbox for this season?
Does that mean it’s ‘not too late’, as you said in your first message, or putting a box up late in the breeding season and with the wet weather only very recently improving, will work against my nestbox being occupied?
I'm not being rude but these messages seem to contradict one another?
No probs. The confusion might be because you are misquoting my last post. I didn’t say the wet weather was recently improving. I said the cold spell was. Temperature affects some species re breeding. Wet weather, where heavy downpours occur, e.g. Spring 2023, affect whole caterpillar season. Cold spell like recently affects days or a week potentially. Not like for like.