Blue Tit roosting in nest box - need advice (2 Viewers)

[Player701]

Hello there!

I have a nest box right behind the window of my room. The box has 24/7 external and internal video surveillance.

For the last week, a Blue Tit has been roosting overnight in this box. So far, it's been coming every day in the evening and leaving next day in the morning, except for just one day when it didn't show up at all.

(It is also sleeping in there right now as I'm typing this.)

Ever since I first noticed it, I've been wondering if I should put some kind of bedding in there (perhaps moss or some such), and/or to periodically clean out the poop, as the Blue Tit is apparently too lazy to remove any of it on its own. However, right now I'm afraid to do more harm then good, fearing that the bird might get scared off in case I make any changes inside the box while it's gone.

I'm also not sure whether this isn't going to deter other birds when they start looking for nest sites in spring - what if they decide that the box is already occupied when they see stuff lying inside?

All the info I've found on the internet so far appears to be scarce and also extremely conflicting. Perhaps someone here on this forum has had some positive/negative experience in any of these matters?

Thank you very much.

 

[Bubbs]

Hello there!

I have a nest box right behind the window of my room. The box has 24/7 external and internal video surveillance.

For the last week, a Blue Tit has been roosting overnight in this box. So far, it's been coming every day in the evening and leaving next day in the morning, except for just one day when it didn't show up at all.

(It is also sleeping in there right now as I'm typing this.)

Ever since I first noticed it, I've been wondering if I should put some kind of bedding in there (perhaps moss or some such), and/or to periodically clean out the poop, as the Blue Tit is apparently too lazy to remove any of it on its own. However, right now I'm afraid to do more harm then good, fearing that the bird might get scared off in case I make any changes inside the box while it's gone.

I'm also not sure whether this isn't going to deter other birds when they start looking for nest sites in spring - what if they decide that the box is already occupied when they see stuff lying inside?

All the info I've found on the internet so far appears to be scarce and also extremely conflicting. Perhaps someone here on this forum has had some positive/negative experience in any of these matters?

Thank you very much.

There is no need to put anything in the box. The bird has returned several times so obviously it’s quite happy.

 

[Kits]

Welcome to Birdforum.

Every year we get a blue tit (sometimes 2) roosting in our nestbox. Later, in the spring, the box gets used for nesting with material being brought in.

We leave well alone. Don’t interfere!

In the autumn, we clean out the box.

 

[Player701]

There is no need to put anything in the box. The bird has returned several times so obviously it’s quite happy.

We leave well alone. Don’t interfere!

Thank you very much for your replies.

I thought as much, but I've also seen people recommend the opposite - here is one such example:

To help your garden’s blue tits through the winter, you can turn your nesting box into a roosting box quite easily.
...
Put in natural insulating materials: wool, dried grasses from your garden, dried moss.

Needless to say, that got me quite confused. But perhaps they're implying it should only be done before any birds start roosting, and not after?

What about cleaning though? It seems to be getting dirtier by the day in there, and the blue tit doesn't seem to mind for now, but I'm still a little worried.

 

[Kits]

No need to clean it. Leave well alone!

 

[Player701]

No need to clean it. Leave well alone!

Very good then. I will continue monitoring and report here if anything interesting occurs. Hoping someone, perhaps this very blue tit, finally gets to build a nest this year.

The placement sure is weird, but I actually did have a nest there once - even though it was another box back then, of much worse quality and with a bigger entrance hole. Pied flycatchers. Sadly, I hadn't yet added an interior camera when it happened.

And afterwards, nothing for 2 years straight, so I got a new box that I hoped would be more appealing to smaller birds. Now at least something seems to have come out of it

 

[Kits]

I meant to say - I like the internal and external cameras! Fascinating to watch. We just have an internal camera.

 

[Player701]

Fascinating to watch.

Yeah, that was the idea

I was considering setting up a combined YouTube live stream in case of nesting activity. It would consist of the main feed from the internal camera, and a smaller picture-in-picture feed from the external one. But I still need to upgrade my home server for that, as it will require re-encoding the video streams, and my current hardware is quite old and not up to the task. There is still time though, and I've already begun working on it.

BTW, here is a picture of the blue tit preparing to leave the box this morning:

 

[Bubbs]

You never need to clean the current box. Imagine the mess inside a natural woodland hole these birds roost in; they are filthy yet they roost happily over winter. Leave it alone.

 

[Bubbs]

Too much camera set up disturbance will undoubtedly cause the birds to desert or simply clear off and find somewhere else. Stop interfering!

 

[Player701]

Imagine the mess inside a natural woodland hole these birds roost in; they are filthy yet they roost happily over winter. Leave it alone.

Right, that sounds reasonable. But in case someone makes a nest there later, shouldn't I at least clean it out after the birds are gone? From what I could find, it seems to be the general consensus - I don't think I've ever seen an article suggesting to do otherwise.

Too much camera set up disturbance will undoubtedly cause the birds to desert or simply clear off and find somewhere else. Stop interfering!

The cameras were installed along with the box way back in September, so there is no disturbance right now. They do not have any moving parts.

 

[PYRTLE]

Right, that sounds reasonable. But in case someone makes a nest there later, shouldn't I at least clean it out after the birds are gone? From what I could find, it seems to be the general consensus - I don't think I've ever seen an article suggesting to do otherwise.


The cameras were installed along with the box way back in September, so there is no disturbance right now. They do not have any moving parts.

As recommended best leave well alone for now ; only after any young have fully fledged and not returned should you consider removing the nesting material and clean the inside. Some species can desert a site at the slightest of disturbance, moreso when prospecting for a suitable location. Good luck.

 

[Player701]

only after any young have fully fledged and not returned should you consider removing the nesting material and clean the inside.

Yes, that's exactly what I meant. Thank you!

 

[Kits]

That’s why I said we clean out the nest box in September.

 

[Player701]

As of today, the blue tit still comes to the nest box to roost there every night. As per the advice given here, I have left the box untouched for now.

The blue tit has also started making visits during the day as well. Sometimes it only takes a few quick peeks at the entrance hole, while at other times it enters the box and then leaves a minute or two later. This was first observed a few days ago, and it's been happening almost every day since then, usually multiple times a day.

I can also say for sure now that there is more than one blue tit that has taken interest in this box. Unfortunately, there is hardly any way to tell them apart. I don't know what they're planning, but it definitely looks like they are up to something.

The following video depicts a slightly longer-than-average episode of one of the blue tits inspecting the nest box. At about 01:50, a second blue tit appears and also enters, which results in a brief altercation. Both birds leave the box shortly thereafter.

 

[Player701]

The day before yesterday (Feb 26th) was very unusual - with it came the end of a whopping 43-day (!) streak of the Blue Tit roosting in the box every night. It was the first day it did not spend the night in there for some as yet unknown reason.

In the evening, the bird came as usual at first, but then it quickly jumped back to the entrance hole and spent the next few minutes peeking out of it, looking somewhat agitated. It was as if something outside - or perhaps someone? - grabbed its attention.

https://imgur.com/Sdqv35i

I decided not to contribute to spooking the blue tit even more, so I did not approach the window to see if there was indeed anything interesting (and/or dangerous) out there. Still, the bird ultimately decided to fly away. Frankly, I was a bit puzzled - if there really had been a danger somewhere close by, wouldn't it have been safer to wait it out inside the box rather than taking chances out in the open?

Yesterday (Feb 27th), the bird came back and behaved in an even weirder fashion, spending almost a whole hour in the same "observer" position as it had done the day before. But this time, seemingly after much deliberation, it chose to stay rather than leave.

It is possible that this blue tit I've seen in the last few days is actually a different bird, not the same one that came to me initially, but as I've said before, it is almost impossible to tell them apart. That could at least partially explain the strange behavior, considering the new bird is not yet accustomed to the box. But if that's the case, then why the other blue tit stopped showing up?

Regardless, however, there is not much I can do besides continuing to monitor the situation.

P.S. Finally managed to set up a combined live stream. Now everything is ready in case they start building a nest when spring comes.

 

[PYRTLE]

It could well be a different individual checking out the nestbox to see if its occupied or a likely nesting site. The original bird may unfortunately have succumbed to predation...... I have had a Sparrowhawk swoop through the garden every day for over a week now, sometimes returning before dusk. It's captured at least 3 small songbirds that I know of.

 

[Player701]

Yeah, I've seen sparrowhawks here too. Even caught one on camera last December, but I didn't see him actually managing to snatch anyone. But who knows what he's doing when not being observed...

https://imgur.com/lazXFHp

The blue tit still keeps visiting during the day, sometimes I can also see two of them at the same time. Which confirms there is more than one bird hanging around, but not much beside that. Sure, there might be some difference, but it's hard to say for sure especially with the lighting conditions constantly changing with the time of day.

https://imgur.com/gSy04py

 

[Player701]

Noticed two Blue Tits competing for the roost site yesterday (Mar 02):

At first, one bird came and took the same "observer" position as I had seen before. Another blue tit then appeared and tried to enter, which caused the other one to react aggressively. In the end, its patience worn so thin that it even jumped out to fight the intruder!

(They moved so fast it was mostly just a blur on video. Sorry about that...)



But the trespassing bird apparently still hadn't had enough - it managed to return and sneak inside the box, perhaps not knowing that the other blue tit had already been waiting there for it. Another brief fight ensued, and the unwelcome guest was finally chased away for good.

edit: Rewatching the video, it appears that the second time the intruding bird actually enters first. Again, their movements are so swift that it's hard to grasp who's where at any given moment...



Here is the complete footage of the conflict:

I wonder why they can't just get along nicely... that box is probably spacious enough to house about 4-5 of them. I mean, not while nesting of course, but it could've helped them survive cold winters better!

Fortunately, the weather's been getting warmer by the day - the local forecast says it's not going to drop below zero °C anymore from this Thursday onwards. (Although it's known to be inaccurate at times, but aren't they all?...)

 

[Player701]

The blue tits have been actively removing poop from the box for the last few days. On March 7th, they made more than 30 visits during the day just to clean up - less in the following days, but the interior is much cleaner now than it used to be, although there's still a lot of work to be done if they're striving for perfection.



They have also brought in some twigs, as if in preparation to create a nest, although they don't seem too eager to build anything right now. I think it's because the weather is still not warm enough: +10 to +12 °C, and it is expected to get colder again this weekend, almost down to 0. Late March or early April seems like a better time to start.



Having watched hours of recorded footage, I've finally managed to identify two distinct birds. One, which has slightly brighter plumage, is probably a male - it's the bird that comes every night to roost (still doing it). The other one appears to be a female - this is also confirmed by the fact that it's the only one who's been spotted bringing in twigs; as far as I know, only the female participates in nest construction.



These also look like the very same birds that were competing for the roost site one evening (see my previous message above), which makes it difficult to ascertain their relationship as of now. Even though they appear to be working together, it's also quite clear that they really don't like sharing space with each other! If one of the birds is already sitting inside the box while the second one enters, the former will immediately jump out. Most of the time, anyway.



(Interestingly, it was the female who won the feud this time, although she then left the box too, and the bird I thought of as male returned shortly afterwards and went to sleep.)