Blue Tit Eggs are Hatching!

When I switched on the nestbox camera and tv this morning I was over the moon to see that 3 of the blue tit eggs had hatched. A bit later I was lucky enough to see the fourth egg hatching and the chick emerge. Just 2 eggs remain now.

The female blue tit has spent most of the day incubating the young and its fascinating to watch the male bring the occasional small caterpillar which he passes to the female who then, oh so gently, feeds the young. Sometimes she seems to get fed up of waiting for him to provide food and goes off to find some herself.

A very poor record shot of the proceedings - young are in the bottom right hand corner!




We are at present, however, on "woodie alert" as yesterday the male great spotted woodpecker perched at the entrance to the nestbox. I think he may have young of his own as he is carrying away beakfuls of fat from the feeders. I've asked my husband to replace the wire netting we put around the nest box last year with holes big enough to allow the blue tits through but not the woodpecker. It seemed to keep the woodie at bay. Although the entrance hole has a metal plate around it, last year the woodpecker tried to gain entry at the side and back of the nestbox.

I have seen the female wren taking food into the nest in the ivy so she must be feeding young too.

The nest is somewhere in amongst the ivy as shown on the photo below. I am not sure exactly where the nest is as she takes a very circuitous route - landing in the laurel and then onto the ivy and then she works her way behind the ivy leaves to the nest site.



I saw my first swifts of the year on Tuesday in Solihull Town Centre.

I am keeping the post short in case it disappears like yesterdays! I understand Blogger are restoring yesterday's posts but if mine doesn't re-appear I will repost the photos of Coleshill church and retype some text next week.