BIRD’S CALENDAR

Event or Commentary
KEY: Broadband - Dial Up - Photos

Days 1 -18
Roosting and Pecking.

Taking up residence.

2010

<LATEST> 1 Feb (St.David’s Day): Blue and great tits are inspecting nearby boxes.  We made smaller the bird box hole and been rewarded with our first video footage - no roosting yet  We have decided on “David and Dottie”.
5 Feb: and still pecking on occasional visits.

2008

22 Jan: At last! We have seen a Great Tit roost overnight. After a bit of preening he (named Geraint...) turns into the habitual “puff ball” for a night’s rest.  The night was fairly mild and dry, so that we are mystified as to why he arrived this evening?
23 Jan: This morning, Geraint woke and took over 15 minutes of preening and listening before he finally left but not before we had been treated to a magnificent dawn chorus.
25 Jan: An early start. Geraint can be seen preening his feathers ready for another day [Broadband video].
4 Feb: Geraint has roosted every night since adopting our box.  We shall post some footage of his habitual ‘rocking’ movement while sleeping.
11 Feb: Not a lot to say.  Geraint continues to roost each night. 
17th March: Just in case you thought this project was forgotten!  Every night Geraint has roosted.  On really cold nights like tonight, he fluffs up a bit more but otherwise, nothing to report.  No pair-bonding yet, but it won’t be long.
23rd March: Spoke too soon.  For four consecutive nights the birdbox has been empty.  It may be that “Geraint” is “Geraldine” and found a mate in another location?
31 March: HURRAH! Nest building has begun today - completely out of the blue.  The next few days saw a massive influx of lichen, grass/straw and a thick layer of downy material that could be sheeps wool?  Hard to tell.

2007

This period has been very quiet in the box without any interest being shown.  Elsewhere, there have been wrens showing an unhealthy interest in the wheel arch of our car (thankfully decided on another site), and a range of other birds making claims on the area. Over winter, we have had extended periods of interest from the sparrowhawks again.  The magpies continue to visit for bread and fat/seed filled coconuts.

18 & 19 Feb (Days 3 & 4 in bird calendar?):  We are relieved to find the birdbox is in use this year.  On checking in the evening (18th) were we surprised by the arrival of substantial nesting material [Photo] . 
We had to wait until 19 Feb (Day 4?) to see the birds themselves.  A beautiful pair of Great Tits - Alf and Cath (Alfred the Great and Catherine the Great - go with it, no need to point out the different eras)!  It will be interesting to see how their calendar compares with the blue tits of the past two years. So, let us introduce Alf and Cath to you .[Video: Broadband - Dial Up]

2006

Jan 27 - Feb 12: The blue tits roosted and sometimes slept over!  Holly and Buddy often took refuge in this period and began to bring in some straggly bits of moss on 27 Feb. They also spent time taking bedding in ... and then removing it!

2005

We learned that blue tits flock over winter, sometimes with other tits in the hedgerows near the birdbox. The box was first erected on 29 January and by 30 January we saw the first arrival with a bit of moss ![Photo]

Days 19/25 - 35
Pair bonding and pecking

2008

31 March to 8 April: There really does seem to be an air of urgency after rapid nest building, bashing and crashing [BB video] (1st April - Day 43!? This pair’s Calendar may need rethinking!), and the next day [BB Video] (2nd April).  Definite pairing going on [BB Video] (1st April). One regularly roosts (although not every night). 

2007

I am sorry that other commitments have meant this diary has fallen  behind.  We have managed to keep track of some frantic nest building by our visiting Great Tits.  Here is a still photograph to show the rather slow progress!  19th March (Day 32).

2006

This year the build up of nesting material was interrupted by visits from a sparrowhawk.  But the blue tits were pretty determined and quickly built up the foundations.

Days 36-47/8
Final push for forming the bowl

2008

Both birds and the nest is building rapidly [BB Video]. Frankly, this happened in a massive rush.  The nest looks very fluffy again, perhaps even more so than last year.  The bird nearly disappears when it nestles down.

2007

29th March (Day 42 - deepening foundations), 30 March, 31 March (even deeper).  1 April (Day 45 - Moss now being added), 2 April (and more moss and feathers) and two for 5 April (First/Second - Day 49). The feathers were ‘donated’ by a ring necked dove that fell prey to our local sparrowhawk ten yards from the birdbox. We have been surprised how ‘fluffy’ and random the nesting has been compared with bluetits.  However, today we say evidence of shovelling to form the softer material into a cup. Here is a short video clip . You will notice the nesting material is much higher and the bird much closer to the lens - so we should get some interesting close-ups of the chicks if they arrive.  If the Great Tits were to follow the ‘bird calendar’ for the blue tits, we should expect eggs shortly, but this nest doesn’t look ready yet.

2006

7th - 9th April (Days 38 & 40) There has been some serious housekeeping going on.  Holly brought in feathers after bull-dozing the foundation into the deep well that will hold her eggs.  Holly behaved strangely towards the end of this period by taking a feather in and out rapidly, as if to say “I am just not sure if I have finished”.  We are seeing both birds together quite a lot.

2005

23rd March - 4th April (Days 36 to 47) An object lesson in nest building as the cup deepened and was firmed up by constant bulldozing

Days 49-56/58
Settling in and egg laying

2008

13 April (Day 55) - the first egg was laid this evening while the sun was shining and then the mother left !  This is highly unusual as all previous layings have taken place at night.  The daytime laying of eggs is continuing but spotting the eggs has bee hard as the nest is very fluffy and deep!  This is the first time we saw five (17 April) then seven (19 April) eggs.  Also a quick view of Geraint feeding Gwendoline (19 April).

2007

Due to lay eggs roughly in early/mid April.  There has been definite mating activity in the box in the past few days.  It will be interesting to see how ‘out of phase’ the blue and great tits are.
9 April (Day 52) - the third night that the female has slept overnight in the box and we see her make her self comfortable and become a puffball while being sung to sleep by the male outside. . 
14th April (Day 57) - the Great Tits are much less helpful to the camera than the Blue Tits were!  At times we think we see eggs but have not caught anything definitive on film (Cath covers the bowl with feathers and moss before leaving).  She is in very early each evening and sleeps so soundly she barely moves; although she does go through heavy panting (suggesting eggs may be laying?).  Getting up can be a slow business too - Cath tidies up clapping her beak until she is called insistently by Alf (and sings back to him) - 12th April (Day 55).  .   15th April (Day 58) We can see at least two eggs as Cath left this morning without covering the cup - a photo - then she did covered them up.  17th April (Day 60) and we have finally spotted FIVE eggs.  So, egg-laying began on 12th April (Day 55) at the latest.  Have a look .  The calendar is running a bit slower than for the blue tits.

2006

18th April (Day 49) We spotted the first egg of the clutch.

2005

6th April (Day 49) We were worried to see Blodwyn lying on her side panting.  But we relaxed when we saw the first egg.  Each day saw another egg laid.

Days 59/70
Last egg laid

2008

Finally there were eight eggs (26th April) of which only six have hatched (here you can see five newly hatched) (2nd May).

2007

18th April (Day 61) -  With six eggs so far it will be interesting to see how many will be laid. This morning was the first time we spotting Cath being fed on the nest By the 19th April (Day 62) we got a very clear shot of seven eggs . Today (22nd April - Day 65) we can confirm that Cath and Alf have seven eggs total - Cath got off the eggs after Alf fed her a large caterpillar. 30th April (Day 73) and we have been watching a lot of brooding but no chicks - they could emerge soon.

2006

28th April (Day 59) Holly stopped laying with eleven eggs! You can see the clutch of eggs and Buddy feeding Holly

7th May (Day 68) Oh such drama - we found evidence of the sparrow-hawk killing a blue tit near the box.  Only after several hours of worry did we see both Buddy and Holly return intact.

2005

16th April (Day 59) We believe nine eggs were laid.

Days 71 to 75

Hatching of all viable eggs and the loss of a couple of younger chicks

2008

(2nd May) Only six eggs hatched.  This video footage shows how tiny and vulnerable they are in their first days. And then the long slog of parental visit, feeding and cleaning begins.  Occasionally we were lucky enough to see all six fledglings in clear view (3rd May).  At this point we had to accept that two eggs were infertile.  It was at this time that we experienced some very warm weather that caused some distress and the fledglings stretched as far as they could to be clear of the cup (10th May) - perhaps to catch some small breeze?  Who would have guessed that they could stretch their necks quite so far!

CHECK EARLIER AND LATER FRAMES AS WE HAVE PUT ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEO ONTO THE SITE OF EARLIER EVENTS. Apologies for not keeping this up to date day-by-day - normal life intruded!

2007

30th April (Day 73):Great excitement! Between 2pm and 5pm the Great Tit chicks started hatching. Two to view in this large file (3 minutes) viewable in broadband and dial-up .  A couple of photos too [Photo 1: Photo 2].  Cath appears a bit confused when presented with a grub that is far too large for the chicks.  1st May (Day 74): We think that all the remaining eggs hatched - although the bundle of chicks could be hiding one egg?  A short broadband video of eggshell being eaten (as last year with the blue tits)  and Alf trying to feed the chicks (fun to watch) . We also took photos of the bundle of six chicks , and both parents feeding the chicks , then the parents breaking up the food so the chicks can eat the grubs

2006

10 May: (Day 71) It is all “go”.  By 8.00am three Blue Tit chicks could be seen with others showing signs of breaking out .
A long video shows two out (Peggy and Sue) and a third emerging.  Notice that Holly eats the shell, which will contain calcium and some albumen we guess - something we didn’t notice the first year.  Again, portions were often bigger than the chicks !  So much so the chick often falls over once their beak is full. You can just see four chicks in this photo .
12 May: (Day 73) The mother churns the chicks around the nest bowl, making it difficult to count.  We think we could see only six chicks. The chicks themselves squirm around a great deal .
13 May: (Day 74) Some delightful footage of frantic feeding   , churning and (broadband best) the first real cheeping from the chicks.  One egg appears not to have hatched, laying in the bottom of the nest cup .

2005

April 28-30: (Days 71-73) We believe all 9 Blue Tit chicks hatched.  The chicks are absolutely tiny and vulnerable.
Blodwyn is seen feeding bugs to the chicks that are the size of the chicks’ beaks!  Note the size and shape of the very young beaks - creating a funnel to ram food into!
May 1: (Day 74) We spotted for the first time that the parents pick up the faecal sacs of their young to remove them from the next.  The routine was very much - feed chick - remove faecal sac - feed chick - remove faecal sac....

Days 75 to 85

A period of frantic feeding, eyes open, very rapid body and feather growth.

Cleanliness in the nest is of highest importance as faecal sacs are regularly presented to the parents and removed.

It also becomes clear that not all chicks are surviving the competition for food.  There are also going to be some eggs that are infertile.

2008

Even in the hot evenings, the mother would sit on her young.  The young, on this occasion, decided that a quiet night was called for [BB video]- although you can see some stirrings around the edge of this deep and comfortable cup (11 May).

CHECK EARLIER AND LATER FRAMES AS WE HAVE PUT ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEO ONTO THE SITE OF EARLIER EVENTS. Apologies for not keeping this up to date day-by-day - normal life intruded!

2007

2nd May (Day 75): As in previous years, we believe one egg will not hatch.  It is important that all chicks hatch roughly at the same time if they are to survive - they grow so quickly that any latecomers have difficulty keeping up in the competition for food.  This video clip shows how windblown twigs that hit the birdbox cause the six chicks to believe their parents have returned with food.  They are, of course, quite blind at this stage - this results in lots of very similar scenes of open beaks when the wind blew and when a cat clambered nearby .  One significant difference with this year’s Great Tits is that they eat the faecal sacs from their baby chicks.
11th May (Day 84): Still sightless but noisy - they display some clear markings on their juvenile feathers.  We are not sure if all six chicks are thriving?
12th May (Day 85): A peaceful scene of sleeping chicks, dreaming perhaps? A view of wing markings as they fidget

2006

14 May: (Day 75) Rapid changes are taking place - you can see a dark line down the chicks’ backs .  From being very tiny, you can start to see the chicks more easily.  We spotted two infertile eggs, so the best we hoped for was 9 chicks from the clutch of 11.
17 May: (Day 78) Holly caused some concern when she went roosted at the edge of the nest cup and breathed very shallowly.  So the chicks slept without cover!  Later in the night Holly returned to churn the chicks about and the next morning the chicks looked fine .
19 May: (Day 80) Late storms battered the box.  The chicks a growing very quickly, feather tufts appear over the eyes, and Holly engages in a lot of churning of the chicks . All quite comical.  We think there may now only be six chicks.  You can begin to see distinct markings on winglets too as they scratch and flap .

2005

3 May: (Day 76) Our best view of the remaining 7 Blue Tit chicks.  Any dead chicks are likely to be removed by parents.  You can begin to see ‘tufts’ on the chicks’ heads and a darkening of the skin as feathers begin to emerge.  Still sightless which makes feeding time a hit and miss affair and they don’t react until the parent “cheeps”!
Sometimes food is dropped but soon recovered and delivered again.  Once we saw two chicks feeding off different ends of the same grub - quite comic really..
4 May: (Day 77): Four minutes of frantic feeding on video.
5-8 May: (Days 78-81): Housekeeping and hygiene are a priority.  Nearly every time a parent arrives with food, they leave with the faecal sac in their beak , presented to it by the chick turning upside down in the nest.  The chicks get churned about too as the parents dive under the chicks to maintain the cup. The markings become clearer (Day 81) and some chicks start to preen themselves, but fall over asleep at the same time!
9-12 May: (Days 82-85) The eyes open , and very quickly you see some chicks becoming more successful than others in getting food from their parents, the bigger one pushes the others out of the way .  By Day 84 we see that only five of the seven hatched chicks appear to be alive now and Blodwyn moved one dead chick to the wall of the box. We did wonder if this was because Blodwyn was a first-time mum but it could be that food is scarce too? The markings are becoming even clearer.

Days 86 to 89

Stepping on to the edge of the cup, flapping, strengthening and fuelling.

Crowded - so parents start to spend nights out of the box.

2008

The days from 12th May to 20 May left us confused and worried.  It was clear that some young were much stronger and inclined to follow their parents out of the box after feeding.  However, we didn’t see any of them leave over this period - here are all six looking hungry but healthy. We also began to suspect that the young were being fed only by one parent - we have seen cats, kestrels and sparrow hawks very active nearby.  On one occasion we found a cat sitting on top of the birdbox trying to figure a way in - mad flailing of arms and shouting saw him off on that occasion, but you cannot watch over the boxes all the time. The magpies that have overwintered with us were also showing an unhealthy interest in the many nests in nearby shrubs and bushes.  So, did we lose one parent?  Or did some early fledglings make a bid for freedom and had to be cared for outside the box in the thick undergrowth? We will never know for sure.

2007

Sorry. The birdbox was not monitored for several days.

2006

27 May: (Day 88) For a week we have been watching massive changes in the chicks; although a couple did worry us because they are so much smaller than the others.  One thing we got wrong - there are seven chicks in view and a very short clip of the beaks responding to Holly . Holly and Buddy have had to work so very hard to keep the food going through wind and rain. This was the last night during which Holly stayed with the chicks - we don’t blame her given how little room she was given! .
28 May: (Day 89) Getting much more active, with three chicks much larger than the others,  exercise their wings, standing on the smaller chicks and scratch for fleas . So we wonder, do some stay behind and get looked after or abandoned?  By the evening they were worn out and were left to sleep alone - a short clip because they don’t move! .

2005

13 May: (Day 86) This is the first sight of a chick flapping its wings and standing at the rim of the nest cup - prime position for feeding too
14 May: (Day 87) At any one time you can find three chicks standing at the rim of the cup, often craning their necks to see outside the hole and frequently exercising their wings (and pecking each other if one stands on the other!).
15 May: (Day 88) Two stand-alone photographs: see how much wood Blodwyn removed  when “preparing” the box for occupation.  The next one shows Blodwyn (Brian?) with a caterpillar ready to feed the chicks
16 May: (Day 89) What a day!  Several chicks have had us on tenterhooks as they jumped up to the birdbox hole.  However, they were just as often knocked down again by the adult returning to feed them.  Blodwyn also chose today to clear out two dead chicks  as, we guess, space is at a premium and the presence of a blow fly makes it an important piece of hygiene.  The bird call is much more distinct and a lot of time is spent on the rim of the nest and flapping, scratching and preening

Day 90 - Preparing to leave finally

2008

As we hinted earlier, we thought that only one parent was now alive and interested in the fate of the fledglings.  From this broadband footage (18 May), it is clear only three chicks are active and it does look as if the others may not have made it.  The three remaining were caught (19 May) looking as if they were ready to leave the box (and the flies that were now begining to arrive).  Once the chicks had left, it was clear that only one parent cannot support six fledglings - you can see the remains of the other chicks and a fly left (21 May).

2006

29th May (Day 90): So close to being ready to leave as one chick flies to the hole and looks out before falling back!  Feeding is so frantic, you often see both adults in the box together . The pressure to get fed leads to some comic clips - this short one shows the mother cornered! (Thunder in the background) 

2005

17th May: The chicks behaved oddly today.  They were almost docile as if resting and conserving their energies? No frantic feeding and calling.  We think that Blodwyn returned to the box last night because she was soaked through.  This evening she was noticeable by her absence.

Day 91 - Freedom!

But beware the bandits (Magpies)

2008 - Hiding in a hebe - the last one to leave.  The mother was nearby.

2007 - 19th May (Day 92): Oh dear! We were away for a few days and came home to find chicks under the birdbox, looking very beautiful and being fussed over by their parents.  So we missed filming the departure by only a few minutes.  This short clip gives a view of one chick that did not make it (we suspected one was lost).  On broadband you may hear the call of the parents as they tend to their newly flown great tit chicks.  Five out of six is not so bad a success rate.

2006 - 30 May: This year took 3 hours to empty the box!
This is how it went....
(1)  0700:Surprise! Three gone and we worry the smaller ones might be abandoned - one is much smaller that the others
(2)  0755: This clip is best appreciated on broadband - all is well until something caused four hungry chicks to go very still and silent .... the reason was a good one.  A magpie had landed below the nestbox and several birds made alarm calls
(3)  No more feeding but a number of short visits and a lot of calling from outside to entice the chicks to leave the nest.  This long clip (6.5 mins) follows their fate - leaving the runt of the brood with its mother
(4) The final chick was abandoned for 40 minutes without food until finally it was forced to respond to its parent’s calls - although it was a real struggle for this chick to get airborne - we are not confident that this one will survive the night .
Bird Facts: Only 37% of bluetits will survive their first year

2005 - 18 May: 0630 chicks are frantic.  Several try to perch at the birdbox hole - we see two trying at the same time.  All chicks are exercising their wings and rattling their tail feathers.  It cannot be long before they go - Blodwyn is still regularly feeding and cleaning the chicks. .  0720 and all five chicks have left. Be warned, these are large files - make a cup of coffee first and unpack the hanky .  Over in 12 minutes!

After the chicks have gone

In mid June 2005 we saw a solitary bee take residence in the nesting material for a while
Also in May 2005 we heard a sad tale of another bird-box from a visitor to our website that lost all its chicks.