Mr Musgrave's bird-box
June 5th
The nest is empty this morning. They were there at 7 o'clock last night and gone at 9am this morning. Great that all six survived to leave the nest. They will live on insects and caterpillars over the summer and who knows, some of them may even be back next year to start their own family in my bird-box. |
June 1st
It's been three days since I checked the nest. Today when I checked there were only three of our six chicks in the nest. It looks like the missing three have fledged (left the nest). Blue tits normally take about 18 days before they are ready to fledge. At this stage our chicks are all about 15 days old. I reckon that the weather has been so good that the parents were able to get lots of food for them so they had enough strength to fledge earlier than normal. |
May 29th
The blue tit clan are getting very lively. Two of them have decided to leave the nest as it is getting very cramped. They are covered with feathers now and one of them even has wing feathers that are turning blue. Not alone are the parents having to keep the chicks fed, they also have to remove the babies' poo which is done in a little sack - YEUCH! |
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May 18th
So, I got a big surprise this morning when I checked out the bird-box. Six tiny pink blue tits have arrived. This is 14 days after the mother started incubating the eggs. They look very funny with their big eyes and tufts of feathers on their heads. In the video you can hear the mum and day chirping madly to frighten me away from their young. |
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May 11th
She's still incubating the eggs. Incubation lasts almost two weeks and whilst the female is sitting on the eggs, the male defends the area around the nest site from other blue tits, so protecting the available food needed for both adults and, later, the young. He also brings food to his mate. |
May 6th
Sneaked another photo when I saw her heading out to feed. We now have 6 eggs and she seems to have brought in more moss and wool. While I was taking the photo she came back and was not happy. She started chirping her alarm call https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/blue-tit/?type1521 |
May 1st
Blue tits eat insects and spiders, also berries, fruit and seeds in winter.
They especially like peanuts, seed cake, seeds and fat but will also check out almost any food put out to attract birds.
Blue tits eat insects and spiders, also berries, fruit and seeds in winter.
They especially like peanuts, seed cake, seeds and fat but will also check out almost any food put out to attract birds.
April 28th
Blue tits grow to about 12cm long - that is about the length of a small spoon. They weigh about 10g - that is about the weight of a new pencil.
Blue tits grow to about 12cm long - that is about the length of a small spoon. They weigh about 10g - that is about the weight of a new pencil.
April 27th
Blue tits are very active and noisy birds. You can have a listen to their song, call and alert song here.
https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/blue-tit/?type718
Blue tits are very active and noisy birds. You can have a listen to their song, call and alert song here.
https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/blue-tit/?type718
April 26th
So, after nearly three weeks building her nest Mrs Blue Tit has finally moved in. She is really pretty and looks very comfy in her new home. She is turned away from the entrance which I thought was strange. She will lay 1 egg per day from now on and will lay somewhere between 7 and 14 eggs. This takes a huge amount of energy. I am going to leave her in peace for a few days while she is laying her clutch of eggs in case I frighten her off. I will put up some blue tit facts each day in the meantime. |
April 25th
Some more moss and feathers have arrived but I don't see a lot of change from the day before. We have had very little rain in the last seven weeks it is a good idea to put out water for the birds. You can find tips for making birdbaths here. https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/give-nature-a-home-in-your-garden/garden-activities/maketheperfectbirdbath/ They not only use the water to drink but they love to take a bath in the water also. Have a look here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz9tkg4EgDE |
April 24th
Not sure what she's up to now. More feathers, hair and wool have arrived but just seems to be messier than ever. The photo of the blue tit looking out is not from my bird-box but I thought it was a cool photo. Remember we read in our Small World about milk being delivered to houses in bottles with metal foil caps long ago? Blue tits would remove the foil from the bottle of milk and collect the cream from the top. Sneaky little things! |
April 23rd
Mrs Blue Tit has been busy forming a bowl shape today so the nest is looking a bit more organised. I'm not sure if the blue tit photographed on my bird feeder is our nester. Blue tits have to get lots of protein and nutrients at these times as they are so busy building their nests and preparing to lay the eggs. |
April 17th
A busy day in the bird-box today - I hope she's been keeping within the 2km travel limit. The floor of the box is now completely covered. She's brought in some bits of dg hair for that added touch of comfort. I t looks like it came from the labradoodle next door rather than from my own labrador, Molly. |
April 11th
The female blue tit builds the nest with little or no help from the male. She has been really busy the last few days. Here's a video of her entering the bird-box with some more building material. She uses moss mostly and there's lots of that on my lawn. It can take her up to two weeks to build the nest. |
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April 10th Lots of activity around the birdhouse recently as blue tits are checking it out as a potential home. I had a bird-box up in this position for about 8 years until it rotted away. Maybe some birds returning were even born here? Then I could see a blue tit bringing in bits of something frequently. On looking inside you can see she is using bits of moss to form the nest. |
March 21st Birdhouse made out of scraps of wood. Used bit of an old wellington as a hinge so we can lift up the roof and see in. The hole size is 25mm which is the perfect size for blut tits. This size is too small for bigger rival birds or invaders to get in. If you want to build your own bird-box the plans can be found here. https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/how-to-make-your-own-bird-box/ |