lockbreeze926
Well-known member
We have had a nestbox since 2020, in that time successfully fledging 29 Great Tits.
A few weeks ago, as has been the case for the last few winters, a female GT began to roost overnight in the box and vacate during the daylight hours. No nest material was being used, which we would not expect to see until late March, based on previous experience. So far, so normal.
Then, the other day, I checked the nest cam and saw a dead GT at the bottom of the box. Fearing it was (a) the overnight resident and (b) avian flu, I cleaned out the box and sanitised it. The dead bird did have a very small amount of blood on the head, that seemed to have come from a pin-prick type wound, but otherwise showed no sign of damage.
That night, "our" adult was back in overnight, and has been since.
So, what happened? Was the dead bird victim of a cat or Sparrowhawk, but had managed, Hollywood-style, to make it into the box before expiring? Or was there a territorial dispute between two GTs, which ended in a fatality, inside the box? None of these outcomes seem awfully likely, but the dead bird was killed by something.
Ideas?
A few weeks ago, as has been the case for the last few winters, a female GT began to roost overnight in the box and vacate during the daylight hours. No nest material was being used, which we would not expect to see until late March, based on previous experience. So far, so normal.
Then, the other day, I checked the nest cam and saw a dead GT at the bottom of the box. Fearing it was (a) the overnight resident and (b) avian flu, I cleaned out the box and sanitised it. The dead bird did have a very small amount of blood on the head, that seemed to have come from a pin-prick type wound, but otherwise showed no sign of damage.
That night, "our" adult was back in overnight, and has been since.
So, what happened? Was the dead bird victim of a cat or Sparrowhawk, but had managed, Hollywood-style, to make it into the box before expiring? Or was there a territorial dispute between two GTs, which ended in a fatality, inside the box? None of these outcomes seem awfully likely, but the dead bird was killed by something.
Ideas?
