Nest Boxes .....

trebor28

Wood Pigeon sitting on nest.

E39MSport

'My' BT pair have just this minute started to bring in nest material

sables2

Well done mate. These photos are absolutely crystal clear...(great shots too) and informative to the birder who needs more visual info on bird boxes/ nests.

mum2be

Hi, I'm looking for advice. I've a bird box in my back garden and I've noticed some blue tits in and out of it yesterday and this morning. I'm worried that it's too near the house because I spent the day in the garden yesterday planting and weeding and the box is very close to all of this activity and I'm afraid that I might have frightened the birds away and there might be eggs in the box? Should I do anything?

Mothman

mum2be wrote: »

Should I do anything?

No leave it be. I find Blue Tits tolerate us quite well. If there are eggs, I doubt that your presence will frighten them.

Its possible that if they haven't started laying then they may seek another nest site, but that's nothing to be concerned about.

whyulittle

Peeking out, but still not sure if any nest is being constructed.



I think I have a pair of Chaffinches nesting in a natural nest at the end of the garden. I've had a little female bouncing around me chirping any time I've been up there the past few days. The male is there too, but takes no action.

sables2

Your lucky WUL. Wish i could see my Blue Tits nesting in my new boxes....wishful thinking, eh? This picture is so cute, the little fella peeking out of the hole saying: "em...what will i do now"?

whyulittle

More activity around the above box today, and I see a blade of grass hanging out of the entrance hole of the other, which is hanging in plain sight on the back of the house.

JimG

A single bluetit has been overnighting in my nest box for the past week. There's no sign of any daytime activity in the box, though a second BT had a look around the other morning and then went away. Anybody observed this behaviour before?

E39MSport

JimG wrote: »

A single bluetit has been overnighting in my nest box for the past week. There's no sign of any daytime activity in the box, though a second BT had a look around the other morning and then went away. Anybody observed this behaviour before?

'My' winter rooster stopped roosting in the box the very day the first bit of moss was added for the new nest.

I have activity in 2 of my BT boxes again this year. Will get some pics today hopefully.

trebor28

for the more experienced birders out there.

do certain birds like certain trees etc?

we know that certain birds build nests at certain heights but do they prefer certain trees over others?

mgwhelan

dipper chick just after been ringed.




chicks in nest




close up off chicks




parent keeping guard



Ringing and photos taken under license

dillondb

is there any reason kestrels roost with barn owls as i'm watching a pair of barn owls in a barn and a kestrel is roosting five yards away,it seems to me they use them as security as in while i'm waiting for an owl to come from the nest box the kestrel is coming to roost in the barn, he spots me and starts calling mad,the owl in the box must know there some thing around so he's cagey when he comes out,what do you think.

whyulittle

You have a pair of barn owls, and a kestrel!?

Some people have all the luck! :P

dillondb

the kestrel is only roosting in the barn, he must be nesting some where else close by.i must put up a nest box box for him next year,the owl is nearly ready to lay because she's not coming out of the box,he's flying in and out with food for her.

whyulittle

Got a couple of vids of the BT box today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUC6UBCEXn0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuBzZC5UVBM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz6K4m0gv0Y

shawnee

Lovely video, well done !

whyulittle

Found the Chaffinch nest, I believe.

Prowetod

I'm looking for advise on what to do with my nest box: I never had a chance to clean it out over the winter so in it remains a wasps nest. I have seen a blue tit in and out of it today. So I'm just wondering should I clean it out now? Or would the wasps use it again this year? It's probably better off if the birds didn't use it as my cat has quite good access to it.

Whyulittle: Great videos! What type of camera are you using?

whyulittle

Thanks, just a little run-of-the-mill Panasonic. Secured on a length of timber with a Gorillapod.

trebor28

work of the Jackdaws in one of my sheds. didnt think they were religious but it appears they are building some sort of temple.:D:D
they are doing some job of picking up rubbish, the nest is full of all sorts of crap.

i'd pull it down but there are blue tits going in and out with materials and i dont know where they are building.



not sure who is taking over the swallow nest, thinking wren. think they were in it last year.

whyulittle

A sunny Sunday morning at the BT box.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T28JRJWKqSM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PglONjsHqkE

E39MSport

1st Egg this morning. Difficult to see.

whyulittle

No pic, but two eggs I think in the BT Box.

mgwhelan

trebor28 wrote: »

So this is a photo of a bird that tried to nest in a wall of mine just under 2 years ago.
as you can see it incorporated the top of a broken Grolsch bottle into its foundations.

i never could get close enough to it to find out exactly what it was.

it was about the size of a robin and pretty much looked the very same as it except for the red breast.
it was a very clean sleek bird with no "ruffled" feathers if you know what i mean.
i has never seen a blackcap before and thought it was one but couldnt see a 'black cap'

it didnt stay too long though as that wall was along a major thoroughfare which i would walk past several times a day.

any ideas?

i know this is a old post but was just talking to a neighbor who works for BWI, some how we started talking about boards.ie anway he was looking at this thread and saw your picture and said it was 100% a spotted flycatcher, he also said that they have a tendency to breed in the same place every year so its wort having a look in a few weeks

trebor28

thanks for the reply.

it would be great if they did but as i said in under the pic, they didnt stay too long as there was too much going on around the nest and they probably got spooked.

we can only hope they do return.

shawnee

Have put up a few nestboxes and have seen a blue tit flying into one a few times. Hope she's nesting there but have only seen here say one day in three or four. Someone mentioned that they build several nests and that she may not be nesting
However I am hoping for the best.

jmkennedyie

Don't panic. Birds like blue tit lay approx one egg per day and do not sit on the eggs (incubate them) until all are laid. Laying probably well under way if not complete so in a week or two expect a lot more activity.

shawnee

Thanks will look forward to that.

artieanna

I have to say a big thanks to Ditch who got me stirred up enough about nest boxes to get some up, and as I have said earlier on three of my four blue tit boxes are in use. Its super to see them in use, now I'm even thinking about other types of nest boxes for different birds... starlings, finches who knows where this will lead


Great pics and video its great to be in a forum with like minded people