So is today the day they go. Well yes and I was correct 🙂 In all the nests I have watched and monitored before, it normally can take some time for all of the chicks to fledge. I remember one year that I had to go through eight hours of […]
Diarys 2025
Today I left the camera recording, as I was unable to spend time watching the nest. Looking through the recording, there was a increase in the amount of wing testing and exploring the box. Food deliveries continued but were smaller and much less frequent. Looking in the box tonight, the […]
Today I thought there was a chance they would fledge but no I was wrong. The young Great Tits did spend more time exploring the box and testing their wings. It seems they prefer to stay in the box and have a lay in! For the second night the chicks […]
I turned on the cameras early today, in case the young Great Tits decided to take the plunge and leave the box. Well today was not going to be fledge day. During the day, there were a number of occasions where the young Great Tits would be stretching or testing […]
Food deliveries are still coming into the box by both parents, but they are becoming less frequent. More wing testing was observed today and the female Great Tit came back to roost with the young Great Tits tonight. Based on the age and size of the young Great Tits, I […]
I have to say the female Great Tit is one of the best parents I have seen, whilst watching nests in my bird boxes over the years. She has spent a lot of time making sure the nest cub is clean, although I do not think the young Great Tits […]
Both parents have continued to visit the box with food for the five Great Tit chicks. I really cannot call them chicks any more as they are almost fully grown and ready to leave the box soon. The nest cup is becoming crowded as the chicks are now nearly fully […]
From today, you will notice some blurring in any photos I attach to my diary entries, as I did not want to show the dead chick, and so have blurred it out. The male Great Tit has been very good and continued to provide food for the growing chicks. Today […]
In my diary entry for yesterday, I mentioned that one of the chicks was out of the nest cup for the day and was receiving very little food. I am sad to report that the chick did not make it through the night and so we are down to five. […]
All was going well, until I turned on the camera this morning. The weather has been warm over the last two days and I know the female Great Tit has been spending lots of time trying to keep the nest cup clean. Some of her cleaning efforts have seen the […]