5th May - The Blue Tit Story

Last Christmas, my daughters bought me a nest box and camera set.  Over the last few years Blue Tits have nested in a box that was installed outside the window, or what was my home office when I was working and now a spare bedroom.  The camera would now allow me to watch them if they were to breed again.

Just before we left for Costa Rice I set everything up, and I was able to watch the nest box on my phone via the internet and bluetooth.  The prime time to put up nest boxes is at the latest the middle of February, so all was good.

I would check every so often, but almost always was presented with an empty pine box.  Then on the 21st March I saw this:

Things moved slowly at first with the moss and feathers being brought in and strangely taken out.  But it wasn't until the start of April that the serious nest building kicked in and one Blue Tit started to take up residence, creating a hollow at the back of the box.  This was taken in the evening of the 5th April, probably the female settling in.

Then a sight of the first eggs on the 9th April, two at least

The female would cover the eggs before leaving the nest box.

On the 15th it was clear that there was now a good number of eggs, but the eggs were covered as usual when the female left the nest.

Then on the 16th we could see that there were eight eggs in total.

Incubation then started the female being seen on the nest, but not just sitting but fidgeting and continually digging down to turn the eggs.

Then on the 29th we had chicks, only four to start with.  Both adults started feeding the babies, the female however staying in the box for much of the time to brood the chicks.

Eventually it was clear that all eight chicks had hatched but by now there was definitely a size difference between the eldest and the youngest. 

The chicks were growing and it was now possible to see the pin feathers on the wings, although the eyes were still closed.  Turning the volume up it wasn't possible to hear them, but every so often the mouths would open showing off the yellow bill and the orange gapes.

By the 3rd of May the adults were bring in food, caterpillars and even some of the mealworms we were feeding the Robins and Blackbirds.

The following day the weather changed.  I didn't look at the nest box cam until there early evening and I didn't like what I saw.  The camera was on infra red and there was no adult in the box.  Hoping that they were out looking for food I didn't worry, but when I checked at around 21.00 there wasn't any sign of an adult, the chicks were still moving, but no longer begging.

Next morning I checked and was faced with the sad sight of all eight chicks dead in the nest.  We will never know what happened to the adults, why did they abandon the nest.  Was it because of the Starlings close by that finally spooked them, or was one of the adults, maybe the female predated by a Sparrowhawk.  There is a lot of activity with the starlings around the house and this surely has attracted one.

The sad thing is we will never know.  This hit me really badly, I am not sure why, I cleaned the box out this morning and buried the little chicks.  I removed the camera and installation and packed everything away for another year.  I left the box in place, I know it won't be used again this year, but with it in place, it is a familiar sight, all I have to do is fit the camera in next spring.

So a rather sad end to what I had hoped would be an fascinated journey following the early lives of these little birds.

29th April - Fishlake Meadows, Hampshire

So it was back to Fishlake once again.  The Hobbys yesterday were not performing and I had to leave early so I had a bit more time today and was prepared to have another go.  It was another hot and sunny day, definitely warmer than yesterday, hard to believe it was only the last few days of April.

The car park was full and I was lucky enough to find a space just outside.  Walking from the car park, a Blackcap was singing in the hawthorn.

Then on the canal path a Goldcrest was also singing from a Hazel tree.

There was a crowd of people on the canal path waiting to catch a glimpse of the Grasshopper Warbler.  There were claims of there being at least three present, but only one sang at one time.  It came a little closer, into the cut willow branches, but as always the branches were in the way.

A little further along the canal path was a female Cuckoo, probably the same bird as seen yesterday.  It perched on the dead trees in full sun.

A rare sight was that of a Muntjac Deer in amongst the reeds, seen from the canal path it watched us as we watched it.

At the gate to the cross over path a Cetti's Warbler.

The first Hobby seen was just after 12:30, it was from the cross path and was joined by another as they soared around the trees and the reed bed.  They were catching insects and for the first time we saw dragonflies in the air.

Not the best conditions, as with the hot weather came heat haze, but I managed some acceptable images.

They would soar and then flap hard to accelerate on to any insect, throwing the legs forward to catch the prey.

The prey eaten on the wing, the insects ripped off and then the head, thorax and abdomen eaten.

The best views were seen from the canal path, we spent sometime on the central path but nothing came close or low.

Probably the sharpest image.

Hobby time was a little better today, but I think the heat kept the birds high where the insects were.  Temperatures are due to fall to a little more normal ones, hopefully the insects will emerge and stay a little lower.

28th April - Testwood Lakes and Fishlake Meadows, Hampshire

I had an early visit to Testwood Lakes in the hope of catching up with the Wood Sandpiper seen over the weekend.  The previous evening had been clear so there was a risk it had departed.  I walked around to the hides to view the scrapes where the Sandpiper had been.  On the way I passed singing Blackcap and Whitethroat and as I approached the hides there were Sand Martin over the scrapes .

The aspect of the hide was not good early morning, the sun shining directly into an easterly direction and this had the affect of totally wiping out any detail.  Fortunately I was able to find the Wood Sandpiper at the far side of the scrape, too far unfortunately for any discernible photograph, but with the telescope feature on the camera I could make out the spots on the upper side.  Also present on the scrape were two Little Ringed Plover, a Common Sandpiper, several Redshank, and Lapwing with at least two chicks seen feeding on the islands.

The Common Sandpiper showing how bad the light was.

And the Little Ringed Plover:

As I walked back to the visitor centre two Ring-necked Parakeets flew across the trees in front of me.  I understand that they breed close by here.

From Testwood I drove the short distance to Fishlake Meadows.  Again, over the weekend there were five Hobbies over the reed bed and it was these I hoped to catch up with them.  But as I waited for the temperature to rise and the insects to take to the air I settled in to watch the Grasshopper Warbler I had seen last week.

First up though was a female Marsh Harrier quartering the reeds.

The Grasshopper Warbler showed and reeled on and off, but the views were not that good the little bird settling in the middle of the bushes.  Finally it showed on the left hand side of the the three bushes it likes to use, and probably gave its best views yet.

This shows the longish tail and the curved tip and the streaks on the underneath of the tail feathers.

Other warblers were the regular Cetti's hollering out its song behind us and the Chiffchaffs high in the willows.  Below the canal path there were Whitethroats in the bramble and bushes.

 While Garden Warblers could be heard and seen in the bushes on either side of the open area.

Alarm calls alerted s to the presence of a Sparrowhawk above me.  To start with it drifted close to the vapour trail of a jet overhead.

It didn't look like either an adult male or female Sparrowhawk, so it was considered an immature.

This was the last acceptable image I took of the Grasshopper Warbler, although it has its back to me it does show the streaking that characterises the bird.

After some lunch I decided to walk to the screens in the hope of finding the Hobby.  But only managed some distant views.  There was little of interest at the screens and my time was running out so I made my way back.  As I reached the canal path once more I picked out a Hobby high over the reed bed.

Unfortunately the Hobby stayed high, but came overhead and showed well.

It was catching insects, although I couldn't determine what they were, probably still small insects, there didn't appear to be any dragonflies about.

Hanging the legs down after disposing of the remains of an insect.

Another very warm day which delivered on the birds I was after and one more.  The Hobby sightings though were rather disappointing, but I didn't have the time to secure better views.  I will have to come back tomorrow.