A HOUR IN THE LIFE OF THE ARBOUR TITS

Yesterday I managed to get all the jobs, in and out of the house, that had to be done and then go out into the garden to set up the camera and sit with a mug of tea to observe how the Tits had settled down in the nest box in the roof of the Arbour. I've got a number of nests boxes around the garden but this is the very first time that a pair of birds have chosen to nest in the Arbour so I'm very pleased and, I admit it, excited that the Tits have chosen to settle in there. Because of that I took a lot of pics so be prepared to get bored!!










Who's out there?


I'm off!!


I'll wait for you to come back.








They came back with nesting material and some grubs for grub!!


















I was amazed just how busy the pair were, flying in and out all the time. On coming back they would perch on a high post nearby to make sure all was well before flying into the nest box. While I was taking the pics Jenny, the Cat, decided to take up residence [just to be awkward] on the seat in the Arbour which was unsettling the new resided Tits. I ejected her 3 times before she got the idea and went grumbling to herself about me. I've now put 3 large pots onto the seat so that she has no room to sit.

 

Yep, I'll be keeping an eye out to see what happens when the fledglings decide to fly!

 

Hi Sheal, I used the 500mm lens and set it on a gimbal head and tripod about 30 feet away from the Arbour so that I wouldn't disturb them. Then after focusing on the Arbour I set the camera settings on remote control with multiple shots being taken in a burst and then I waited. So it was a case of drinking my tea while sitting in a chair and watching for the Tits to come and go. The light was not good to be honest and it was very overcast and quite dull so even at maximum aperture the shutter speed wasn't as fast as I wanted it. I could have increased the film speed but since this was my first try I kept it as low as I could just to learn and see how it all went. Because I was taking bursts of shots I "managed" to take over 200 shots so what you've seen is just a fraction of them

Hi Fern, Jenny the cat is very persistent so I've had to fill the Arbour seat with three large pots to deny her any space to sit. Since then she's sat elsewhere and not bothered the Tits. Mind you, today was quite windy and cold so she's not been out in the garden that much!!

Well, there's always the pond bench or the Stone Bench under the Acer, Jenny

 

Hi Fern, they're doing fine and very busy. I'll try and set up the camera tomorrow and get some close ups of the Tits depending on the weather!!