These seem to have moved into the area, first time we have seen them here, though there are lots along the A5/A483
Beautiful, Pal - theres a buzzard near me, over the fiels but every time I take the camera, he's not there! :rolleyes: Im hoping for a new camera for my b/day with more zoom
Brilliant Photo's Pal,especially the hovering one.It is nice that so many members are interested in the bird life{The feathered sort}.Perhaps we need a section where members can put their photos of the birds that they have seen and photographed. We have our pair of Blue Tits already taking an interest in the box that they nested in for the last two years.We also had four of the youngsters back in the garden with the parents over the weekend.We never did find out how many there were in the box,but at least they all fledged safely
I agree nice photos again. Like the hovering one with the background. Re: blue tits. Have you cleaned out the box? I read somewhere that they can get mites that will infect the new brood. So each winter I take down the box, clean it out and pour in a kettle of boiling water and dry it off before hanging it back up. Think I will have to do it soon. a bit of warm weather and they start getting frisky.
Yes Geoff,Mr Kandy takes out the old nest each time they have finished nesting.They never have a second brood as they always seem to have enough chicks in the first brood.Our nest box gets quite hot when she is sitting and I am amazed that they don't die of heat stroke,but both broods have fledged with no losses.Last year the male started taking moss and course animal hair into the sparrow terrace next door,but Mrs Bluetit wasn't going to go be down graded,so he had to rebuild the nest in the detached residence,so even in the bird world the ladies get their own way :D :D
Tits only have one brood. I think that must be why there are sometimes so many. Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket.... Round here I reckon the nesting works that the chicks are out last week in May, which is usually school half term. One year I had the kids at school making nest boxes. I put up over a dozen. That year and for years after when we got back after half term the oaks would be alive with tit chicks cheeping away. If the nest box gets hot consider its aaspect. You should make sure its in shade so you don't cook the chicks. Mine are always positioned on the shady side of the tree trunk. I have also heard that with tits you should not have too many boxes close together. If another family move in they end up s****ping (like neighbours from hell) or if its empty they spend all the time fussing about which one is best and end up not laying. I reckon my garden can support one tit nest and I stick a robin nest somewhere else but the robins always make their own arrangements. The best help to nesting I ever got was getting a dog. Keeps the perishing cats away. They always spot the activity and either catch the parents or put them off laying...but the cats can't settle if their is a big dog around. Birds don't seem bothered. I have seen my German Shepherd barking at a pigeon up the tree and a blue tit has whizzed past her head with nesting material for the box 4 feet away. Sorry about the censoring. SWtupid American software. I should point out my GSD is a bitch - wonder if it will get upset about that.
Sorry Geoff.I meant to say two broods over the two years they have been using the box.One brood per year.We estimate over a dozen chiks per brood but as we don't distube them and don't see them fledge never know the exact number.The box is on the house wall round the back facing west.We have it seems a couple of really hot days but we think the warmth keeps the chicks snug while the parets go searching for food. The other box is a sparrow terrace brought from the RSPB shop in Sandy.I told Mr Kandy to put it out the front under the eaves but he ignored my suggestion.The only thing that uses it is over wintering bees.I would move it myself but I don't like heights.So it is going to go to waste :eek:
Some people reckon on putting a ring of metal round the hole in the tit box. Stops other birds widening the hole so that they can use it. I notice that most of the boxes at school have had their holes widened considerably now, probably by woodpeckers. One year one of the school boxes was occupied by nuthatches. Their nest is incredible. They make an entrance chamber using clay .
We have got two cats that would love to get at the chicks or parents,even climbing on top of the conservatory and trying to leap over to the box,but no joy.The parents still carry on with the task in hand.I love to see Nuthatches and only once have seen how they cement up the hole.This one was in a tree trunk.We had them feeding on our peanut feeders while we were away at xmas.We take everything with us and carry on with the feeding the birds whenever we go away.The Nuthatch call remind us of morse code... I love your website Geoff,our winter flowering clematis is out in flower at the moment :D
