Coal Tit conundrum

HoteiMarkii

I put a small nest box on a north facing wall in my back garden in late January this year. I was thrilled to see a pair of Coal Tits go in and out of the box with nesting materials only this morning. Although delighted to see it, I have a slight dilemma. I had planned to get an electrician in at the end of next week to install electrical cables for a Koi pond I've been working on for the past few months, and the cables can only run along the wall where the nest box is situated. I guess the electrician would need to be in the general vicinity for an hour or two. I fear if that plan goes ahead, I may frighten the Coal Tit pair away, which I genuinely don't want to do. I'm willing now to postpone the installment of the electrical cables, but was wondering how long realistically would this pair need to build a nest, incubate eggs, raise and fledge youngsters? What are we looking at, 6-7 weeks perhaps?? Any help or thoughts would be appreciated.

Alun

I don't know about coal tits but I have a nest box where we get blue tits nesting every year and generally from the first signs of actual nest building to fledging is around 6 weeks. From the start of nest building to the first egg is usually around 10 days. They're usually messing around for a good few weeks before nest building begins for good though, popping in and out pecking away at the inside of the box and the entrance hole.

HoteiMarkii

Alun wrote: »

I don't know about coal tits but I have a nest box where we get blue tits nesting every year and generally from the first signs of actual nest building to fledging is around 6 weeks. From then to the first egg is usually around 10 days. They're usually messing around for a good few weeks before nest building begins for good though, popping in and out pecking away at the inside of the box.

Thanks Alun. The pair look like they mean business because they're bringing in quite a lot of material like large clumps of moss, hair and feathers. I would imagine the female will lay quite shortly. I was looking forward to setting up my new pond, but I guess I'll have to hold off for at least six weeks or so. I would also imagine they would probably like to raise another brood shortly after their first youngsters have fledged, so I may only have a short while to set up what I can so as not to disturb them again?

JustAThought

HoteiMarkii wrote: »

I put a small nest box on a north facing wall in my back garden in late January this year. I was thrilled to see a pair of Coal Tits go in and out of the box with nesting materials only this morning. Although delighted to see it, I have a slight dilemma. I had planned to get an electrician in at the end of next week to install electrical cables for a Koi pond I've been working on for the past few months, and the cables can only run along the wall where the nest box is situated. I guess the electrician would need to be in the general vicinity for an hour or two. I fear if that plan goes ahead, I may frighten the Coal Tit pair away, which I genuinely don't want to do. I'm willing now to postpone the installment of the electrical cables, but was wondering how long realistically would this pair need to build a nest, incubate eggs, raise and fledge youngsters? What are we looking at, 6-7 weeks perhaps?? Any help or thoughts would be appreciated.

Maybe put off the electrician and koi for another while - with the bad weather and snow predicted it will be nicer for them to eatablish themselves in late May or June rather than risking disrupting and risking the welfare of both sets of species now. Congrats on the coal tits!! If they like it and arn’t disrupted they will probably come back each year - well worth the wait for a few weeks in this cold weather now!

Del.Monte

http://www.irish-birds.info/coal-tit.htm

HoteiMarkii

JustAThought wrote: »

Maybe put off the electrician and koi for another while - with the bad weather and snow predicted it will be nicer for them to eatablish themselves in late May or June rather than risking disrupting and risking the welfare of both sets of species now. Congrats on the coal tits!! If they like it and arn’t disrupted they will probably come back each year - well worth the wait for a few weeks in this cold weather now!

I was thrilled to see them go in and out of the box this morning I have to say, and yes, will definitely hold off getting the electrician in for now. Thanks.

Alun

Again, no experience of coal tits but I've never experienced our blue tits having a second brood. They generally start a little later though with the first egg usually arriving around mid to late April and fledging around the end of May, 1st week of June.