Great Tits - a second brood (1 Viewer)

In another posting I described how the early nesting in my garden was fraught with problems, with the Robin eggs failing to hatch, only four of the nine Great Tit offspring and just one of five Starling offspring surviving. Well, the four Great Tit chicks fledged two days ago and the Starling chick fledged this morning.

While I half expect the Starling boxes to be used for another brood, it has been the Great Tits that have taken the lead. The female roosted in the box over the last two nights and this morning she laid an egg at around 3am (there are now two eggs in the nest, as there is one infertile egg left over from the first brood).

I'll be watching developments with interest, and recording progress in my diaries. The eggs are now covered over so are only just visible on the webcam.

This is the first time that we have had a second brood in our tit box, and I understand that second broods are usually less successful for Great Tits - any more information would be gratefully received.

Great Tit lays two eggs overnight!

DavidJJones said:

While I half expect the Starling boxes to be used for another brood, it has been the Great Tits that have taken the lead. The female roosted in the box over the last two nights and this morning she laid an egg at around 3am (there are now two eggs in the nest, as there is one infertile egg left over from the first brood).

Click to expand...

The Great Tit has surprised us again, this time by laying two eggs in one night, the first time I've seen this happening in any of our nest boxes. How often does this occur?

If you take a look at the webcam, be aware that you will see four eggs - see above!

Hi Dave, no idea whats going on here. I know second broods in great tits are rare. It also seems very unusual for a bird to relay so soon after the first brood has fledged. I was wondering Dave are you certain its the same female? and have you seen a male at the box, also do you know if any of the original youngsters that fledged from the box are still present in the vicinity as if they have survived both parents should still be feeding them. Finally birds are individuals, what the books say they do and what the birds actually do is sometimes very different. Hope you get a boxfull of young out this time

Andrew R said:

Hi Dave, no idea whats going on here. I know second broods in great tits are rare. It also seems very unusual for a bird to relay so soon after the first brood has fledged. I was wondering Dave are you certain its the same female? and have you seen a male at the box, also do you know if any of the original youngsters that fledged from the box are still present in the vicinity as if they have survived both parents should still be feeding them. Finally birds are individuals, what the books say they do and what the birds actually do is sometimes very different. Hope you get a boxfull of young out this time

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply Andrew,

I've been really puzzled by what has happened. Of course, I cannot be 100% certain that this is the same female, but her behaviour didn't suggest a different bird investigating a possible nest site. She was clearly familiar with the nest and at the end of the day on which the chicks fledged she just settled in 'as usual'.

As I've said in my diary, the nest day (and while she was in the box) I did hear the male calling and at least a couple of fledgings responding, but I have neither seen nor heard the latter since. On the other hand, the male has been in the box to visit the female several times since. Yesterday morning he was in before dawn with what looked like peanut bits for her. As with the female, his behaviour indicated that he was completely familiar with the box - there was no hesitation before entering.

The fledgings left the box at least a day ahead of schedule, and with cool conditons with sometimes very heavy rain I suspect the future isn't rosy for them. It's not unusual for 'our' fledglings to disappear straight away. I think they head into the nearby country park, where the nearest Oak tree are

In the meantime, the egg count is now up to five, and I'm still getting over the female producing two eggs in one night - how often does that happen to a small bird?

Yesterday she spent just over four hours sitting during the day, and it looks as if she is going to do the same today. It seems as if she is in a real rush to get this lot on its way!

DavidJJones said:

Thanks for the reply Andrew,

Yesterday she spent just over four hours sitting during the day, and it looks as if she is going to do the same today. It seems as if she is in a real rush to get this lot on its way!

Click to expand...

With no additions to the clutch this morning, and the female having spent over 8hr sitting yesterday it looks as though it is going to be another small brood.

DavidJJones said:

In the meantime, the egg count is now up to five, and I'm still getting over the female producing two eggs in one night - how often does that happen to a small bird?

Click to expand...

Hi David,

In the last couple of months we've been monitoring various great and blue tit nests in many nestboxes as part of a friend's PhD project. It was vital for her research that she was finding out the exact days the first eggs were being laid. With one blue tit nest we got a shock when in the space of 2 days we discovered 6 eggs had been laid...although looking back it was probable the female had hidden them deep in the nest but we can't be sure. Is it very common for the mother to bury her eggs? My friend wasn't expecting it and only twigged by accident, unfortunately many of the nests had eggs which she wasnt aware of, but could count back going on the theory the females are supposed to lay one egg a day.

Missyburd said:

Hi David,

In the last couple of months we've been monitoring various great and blue tit nests in many nestboxes as part of a friend's PhD project. It was vital for her research that she was finding out the exact days the first eggs were being laid. With one blue tit nest we got a shock when in the space of 2 days we discovered 6 eggs had been laid...although looking back it was probable the female had hidden them deep in the nest but we can't be sure. Is it very common for the mother to bury her eggs? My friend wasn't expecting it and only twigged by accident, unfortunately many of the nests had eggs which she wasnt aware of, but could count back going on the theory the females are supposed to lay one egg a day.

Click to expand...

Hello,and thanks for the response.

I can fully understand that problem. There have been times in the past, especially when it has been cool (were you recording weather conditions during the study?) when I haven't been able to tell if an egg has been laid by just looking into the box because the female has completely hidden it. After egg laying, and before she leaves the nest you can see her pulling in the soft bedding that she has built up around the nest cup, and tucking some of it under her, and over the eggs. As a result, even using a camera above the nest the eggs can often be hidden. Of course, when the female returns to incubate the eggs she needs to remove this layer, and this is where recording the image becomes invaluable because you can replay the recording to find a moment when the egg(s) may be exposed briefly as she prepares to leave again.



In the case of my GT's second brood, I'm still at a loss to explain the two eggs in one night, but I am certain that it did happen. The only way to make up the egg numbers would have been if she had laid the first one on the night following the fledging of her first brood. However, the following morning she showed none of the usual behaviour I expect after an egg has been laid, and when she left the infertile egg from the first brood was left completely uncovered. The sides of the nest cup had been beaten down by the preceeding brood, so it's unlikely that egg could have been hidden to the side. I checked and rechecked the recording of that first day and there was no sign of a 'new' egg at all.

As you will see from the pictures in my diary, she has actually made little effort to cover this new set of eggs, although she has been bringing in soft bedding each day, nearly all of which is being used to rebuild the sides of the nest cup.

It's all very fascinating!

hi david,

its Aaron, congrats on your 2nd brood but i also have now a 2nd brood and as of today just 5 days after the young fledged the nest the female has 3 new eggs laid each AFTERNOON, i wonder how many more will there be????