blue-tits having problem entering nest box (1 Viewer)

[Wot-Ever]

We have a bunch of chicks about a week or so old and both parent birds have been in and out the box feeding them without difficulty. However just recently they appear to have a problem entering the box. The male bird in particular frequently hovers and puts his head into the entrance but that's as far as he gets The female has more success thank goodness but I'm concerned the problem might be down to the wood swelling because of the rain. The box is constructed from 25mm thick hardwood. Appreciate your thoughts

 

[delia todd]

We have a bunch of chicks about a week or so old and both parent birds have been in and out the box feeding them without difficulty. However just recently they appear to have a problem entering the box. The male bird in particular frequently hovers and puts his head into the entrance but that's as far as he gets The female has more success thank goodness but I'm concerned the problem might be down to the wood swelling because of the rain. The box is constructed from 25mm thick hardwood. Appreciate your thoughts

Hi Wot-Ever I wonder if this could be due to the male thinking that the youngsters are/should be about ready to fly? They gradually reduce feeding them in the box trying to encourage the to come up to the nest hole for feeding. They then get the idea of where/how to get out.

The female will still want to enter, as she needs to remove the faecal sacs to keep the nest clean.

You live a lot further south than I do, so the breeding season will be more advanced than up here in Scotland, by about 3 weeks!

Hope this helps to give you some ideas to ponder on.

 

[Wot-Ever]

Hi Wot-Ever I wonder if this could be due to the male thinking that the youngsters are/should be about ready to fly? They gradually reduce feeding them in the box trying to encourage the to come up to the nest hole for feeding. They then get the idea of where/how to get out.

The female will still want to enter, as she needs to remove the faecal sacs to keep the nest clean.

You live a lot further south than I do, so the breeding season will be more advanced than up here in Scotland, by about 3 weeks!

Hope this helps to give you some ideas to ponder on.

Hi Delia Thanks for your post. The chicks are only six days old so nowhere near ready to leave the nest. As I write this I am watching the male still attempting to enter the box with a quite a large caterpillar in his beak. He gets his head through but that's as far as he gets. The female is in and out all the time having to do all the feeding. They used to work as a team up until a few days ago and now its so frustrating watching his repeated attempts to do his bit. Its a shame she doesn't have the savvy to take the caterpillar from him.

 

[delia todd]

bit. Its a shame she doesn't have the savvy to take the caterpillar from him

LOL ,,,, it would appear they just don't have the experience then. I can't really think of any other reason.

So, what happens, does he just fly off with it?

 

[Wot-Ever]

LOL ,,,, it would appear they just don't have the experience then. I can't really think of any other reason.

So, what happens, does he just fly off with it?

Most of the time he stays close. The box is strapped to a mature palm tree aprox 25ft high and like I said at one stage they were both constantly in and out feeding the chicks but now he seems to have lost the technique of getting himself through the entrance. I was tempted to fix a small slate of wood on the outside but its never been a problem before and I don't want to encourage sparrows making a nuisance of themselves

 

[NorretteCurrent]

This probably matches what I was seeing yesterday with mine. Yes, I think they are newbies, but since I saw a load of nesting material discarded this morning I think it was because there was a full house and no room at the inn. (They're gonna be busy)

 

[maplekong]

Most of the time he stays close. The box is strapped to a mature palm tree aprox 25ft high and like I said at one stage they were both constantly in and out feeding the chicks but now he seems to have lost the technique of getting himself through the entrance. I was tempted to fix a small slate of wood on the outside but its never been a problem before and I don't want to encourage sparrows making a nuisance of themselves

I'm curious as to why he forgot how to enter a box I think you'll be okay to fix some sort of perch on the outside if the nest is not too exposed.