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Nest box activity 2016 (1 Viewer)

gw4aurora

In eclipse
Things have started to move here with Blue tits and House sparrows occupying boxes but for me the best is a pair of Coal tits have started to build in another box.

It is the first time Coals have nested in the garden and as I have cameras in all boxes I am looking forward to watching them raise their young.

Regards,

Chris
 
Chris, how about an update….???….I would really enjoy hearing how your birds are getting on. It would also be nice to see your nest boxes, if you have photos. Actually, it would be nice to see everyone’s nest boxes and tell us how they’re getting along.

My boxes are nothing special, all are recycled and re-purposed secondhand or thrift shop finds. I have limited woodworking skills; I don’t even try to build a box but I do admire a well-fabricated elaborate birdhouse.

Currently I have 10 boxes along the fence line; 3 of which appears to be non functional, 4 have been rejected, and 3 hold Bewrick’s Wrens nests two of which have been abandon due to House Sparrow harassment. I believe one box has a sitting female, I’ll know for sure in about 2 weeks when they start feeding the chicks.

It would be nice if this thread got legs....I'd enjoy seeing a bunch of birdhouse with their occupants coming and going.

Photo: I believe it's the female at her preferred house.
 

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None of my blue tit nest boxes are showing any sign of activity. Normally by this time of year I see them at least inspecting the boxes.
 
I had nothing last year but as posted elsewhere this year there is a single blue tit making regular visits occasionally with nesting material and there is a bit of a nest there but its main activity is pecking at the walls and floor as if to trying to make holes. At one part he/she is nearly through. A second bird occasionally visits with food for the first bird.
 
The Bewick Wren eggs must of hatched around the 14th, give or take a day or so. Both birds are actively feeding the chicks, non-stop, throughout the day.

What's interesting is the wren's new relationship with the House Sparrows; they won't approach the box without scoping the immediate area for HSs, food in bill or otherwise. If a HS is near they dive on it and alight nearby in a stand-off. After a while, with no other engagement, one of them surrenders and moves on.

Prior to their nesting, they wouldn't give a HS the time of day.

When I'm in the vicinity they fly directly to the box. I don't get a second thought which is nice. I also haven't gone closer than 15 feet, don't know if that matters or not.

My hope now is to be there for the fledging around the 27th give or take a day or so.

None of my blue tit nest boxes are showing any sign of activity. Normally by this time of year I see them at least inspecting the boxes.

How's your birds doing...??...any lay claim to a box? Could you post photos of you boxes, not the camera nest shots but outside shots?

I saw your yard in a different thread, gorgeous! So lush and green, I wish my yard was half as nice as that. Water is kinda scarce in west Texas, we're currently on water rations; outdoor watering allowed once a week. As you can imagine, my yard kinda resembles something from the Grapes of Wrath.

I had nothing last year but as posted elsewhere this year there is a single blue tit making regular visits occasionally with nesting material and there is a bit of a nest there but its main activity is pecking at the walls and floor as if to trying to make holes. At one part he/she is nearly through. A second bird occasionally visits with food for the first bird.

I could stand to hear more about your Blue Tits. It would be nice to see pictures along with the box. Never seen a Blue Tit so I'll have to do a Opus search.

Thanks everyone for adding to the thread.
 
I'm afraid the nestbox camera is not a colour one, everything's a faint shade of pink. If a clutch of eggs appears I'll happily post pics here.
 
I'm afraid the nest box camera is not a colour one, everything's a faint shade of pink. If a clutch of eggs appears I'll happily post pics here.

It would be nice to see the clutch but you can't post the pictures here. BF has a policy against posting eggs and nests, at least in the BF Gallery. I'm not sure if it extends to the Forums. To be safe I'd PM the mods or pose the question to the Information Wanted thread.....asking if posting eggs and nest pictures are okay in the forums?

As for my wren box......the chicks are singing their little hearts. Gotta love it....!!

Also, the wrens have decided no Blue Jays are allowed in the yard, front or back. They don't attack the jay but they circle it while scolding it with their hissing noise. They simply annoy the jay till it leaves or follows one of the adult wrens in an attempt to chase it away.

One spring I had Inca Doves at my birdbath along with a couple of their chicks. In swoops a small group of Blue Jays thirsty for a drink. I was standing at my window watching the activity play out when one of the Blue Jays hops over and grabs a baby Incas Dove, had the chick by the back of the neck. The jay simply flew away with the dove in it's beak. No doubt he would make short work of a baby wren.
 
2016 breeding season has come and gone for my Bewick's Wrens. They say there's a probability for a 2nd brood but I'm skeptical.

There was only 2 chicks, reason for my skepticism. The norm, I guess, is 4 to 8. Maybe she's a first year mom and it was stressful for her, I don't know. If someone has an opinion I would like to hear it.

They fledged on Friday the 22nd, 5 days earlier than what I expected.

At about 8pm I heard the wrens singing, a soft sweet song. Both adults were on top of the fence about 30 feet from the nest box. One chick was in the middle of the yard hopping towards the fence. After a few minutes it finds it's wings and makes it to the top. From there one of the adults was calling it to a low hung branch in a live oak tree, 3 foot overhead.

While this was happening the 2nd and last chick flew out the box. It landed in the grass and hopped over to the fence. It made it to the second runner but couldn't get much higher, 3 feet more to the top. The mom or dad brought it some bugs and the baby chick kept searching for it's wings.

By this time it's already past sunset. One adult wren was in the tree with the 1st chick, the other adult was still coaching the 2nd chick. This went on till about 8:30pm, it was getting dark.

The chick on the fence hopped into a bush and climbed the foliage to the top. Both adult wrens were singing softly in the tree. I lost sight of the last chick, I'm guessing it made it the tree. The singing stopped, there was no movement in the bush, and it was now dark out.

They were a no-show at sunrise, they did show up that evening; mom and dad foraging in the yard while the chicks waited for midrats.

Today and tonight they were a no show.

Got a Barn Swallow scoping out my soffit over my front door. Maybe I'll be scrapping a mud nest off my wall come fall.
 

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Hi,

The latest is the Sparrows, Blue and Coal tits are on eggs. What is interesting to me is the male Coal tit calls the female out of the box to feed her for a few minutes before she returns. The male Blue tit does the usual and feeds the female in the box.

I also have Blackbird, Dunnock and Robin nests in the garden so all is going well.

Chris
 
The latest is the Sparrows, Blue and Coal tits are on eggs. What is interesting to me is the male Coal tit calls the female out of the box to feed her for a few minutes before she returns. The male Blue tit does the usual and feeds the female in the box.

I also have Blackbird, Dunnock and Robin nests in the garden so all is going well.

How nice is that...!!!

Wish I had more box nesting birds. With the exception of House Sparrows, I have no others.

As for feeding the female, the male wren brought bugs and fed the female in the box also.

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
A flurry (if that's the word) of egg laying and she has produced nine eggs. Still not sitting on them for any length of time though. Also, she's still bringing nesting material in. Not seen a male in the box but I assume he brings nesting material to the entrance.
 
Hello Chris,

Up in Perthshire, Scotland and a whole month later than you, our Coal tits have gone from an empty nest box yesterday morning (May 1st) to the Coal tit female roosting for the 2nd consecutive night - and the soft material of hair etc went in tonight too!

Like you, I am thrilled as this is a first in our garden and camera box too. This box has already seen 2x unsuccessful Blue tit families, 1x successful Blue tit family and 1x successful Great tit family. I never expected any birds using my nest box this late - definitely not Coal tits! I wonder if this is a trend for this year that they are coming in late to unused nest boxes?

Fingers crossed for success with both our nest boxes.
 

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Hi Shirl,

I am pleased to hear you also have Coal tit activity in one of your boxes, let us hope they carry on and raise a brood so you have the
enjoyment of watching them. My female is sitting on 9 eggs.
The Coals do get bullied by the Blue tits so it must mean they are last in line for any boxes.

Although the Great tits inspected the nest boxes they have gone elsewhere this year.

Keep us informed on how your Coal tits are doing.

Best wishes
Chris
 
About your Great, Blue and Coal tits....do they have more than one brood/clutch per season? If so do they abandon the box and go to different box or do they build a new nest over the old nest or do they reuse the old nest?

Haven't seen my male and female Bewick's Wrens together since the two chicks fledged. The male went to building a new nest in a different box. He sings at or near it in the morning and evening but so far no females show up. I don't know if he's trying to get his old mate back but right now she's busy. I've seen her come and go with one of her chicks in tow. There were only two, I guess the other one didn't make it.
 

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Yes Interesting I love to see what birds are doing around me during these times, I like the name bewick for the Wren I wonder if the guy who gave them that name was the same person who gave the bewick swan its name... We seem to have had a Intake of more domestic cats around here this last year which is not good news for the Birds I like to see my nest box in more natural surroundings but its easy for a cat to get to pleased the blue tits,robins, and blackbirds have gone across the road this year thou theres still time for birds to nest in the garden But The cats are a constant worry.
 
Hi,

She is starting to stretch the incubation period a bit, when did she start sitting on the eggs in ernest?
I would be surprised if all the eggs are addled, just keep watching.

Chris.
 
That's it for another year all young fledged and no casualties in what seemed to be a differcult breeding season. The Coal tits fledged last and had a bit of a runty but it seems to be doing

Chris.
 
Ours is still diligently sitting, 24 days and counting. All 11 must be duff but she still sits, moves them round and generally fusses over them. Not sure how this will end.
 
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