I am puzzled by the behaviour of a blue tit who is currently visiting the nesting box. He sits inside and then proceeds to chew away at the entrance hole. Does anyone know why he does this? He has done quite a lot of damage so far. Yesterday I noticed a mate joined him in the box.
I love birds I hate cats
Hi lizzielady,
It sounds as If your two Bluetits have found their perfect nest box,so hopefully you should see some little ones.If you go onto the Home for Wildlife forum under nestboxes look down the posts people have written. One heading Is Pecking around the hole? have a read It appears you have nothing to worry about.
Littleowl
Blue tits often peck around the entrance holes of nest boxes and it is suggested that it's the Blue tit's way of assessing the quality of the wood and whether it will be good enough to raise a family in!
I personally don't know of any written studies to support this theory, but I participate in numerous nestbox studies of hundreds of boxes and witness this on a regular basis!
Also in the spring it’s thought that the male Blue tit does this as part of his display.
Blue tits may also be exploring the nestboxes to see if they harbour any insects they can feed on.
There are also many factors as to wether the box will be used or not!
Regards Buzzard
Nature Is Amazing - Let Us Keep It That Way