I made a nesting box 3 years ago. Put it the recommended position but no interest from the local feathered community. Second year, some passing interest but no actual nesting.
This year -success! A few days ago I peaked in to see 3 cute young blue tits.
The parents are in and out almost non-stop so the the babies must be feeding well.
Now this might seem a stupid question but how will I know when the young are fledging? I mean do they pop out one day and fly off or do they fly in and out for a while?
Our birds fly/drop out of the nest and then hang around on the ground for a few days learning how to fly. You can tell because they're pretty much adult size but look a bit bedraggled (feathers not sleek) and there is usually a parent bird nearby screaming at you. Just leave them alone.
I made a nesting box 3 years ago. Put it the recommended position but no interest from the local feathered community. Second year, some passing interest but no actual nesting.
This year -success! A few days ago I peaked in to see 3 cute young blue tits.
The parents are in and out almost non-stop so the the babies must be feeding well.
Now this might seem a stupid question but how will I know when the young are fledging? I mean do they pop out one day and fly off or do they fly in and out for a while?
Our birds fly/drop out of the nest and then hang around on the ground for a few days learning how to fly. You can tell because they're pretty much adult size but look a bit bedraggled (feathers not sleek) and there is usually a parent bird nearby screaming at you. Just leave them alone.
Thanks!
I'll have to make sure the neighbourhood cats are kept away!
Whilst checking to see if I'd mentioned the swifts return, I had the swift cam open and was privileged to see what I think was the male returning with food for the brooding female. All the exchange took place right in front of the camera so it was a bit hard to work out what was happening!
We have a pair in the box with the camera, and they've also been in and out of the other box, so we are hopeful of at least two broods. I can't speak for anyone else's, but my garden is a jungle so plenty of insects there for them!
Whilst checking this thread to see if I'd mentioned tbe swifts, I had the swift cam open and was privileged to see what I think was the male arriving with food for the brooding female - though as the action was all right in front of the camera it was a bit hard to see!
We definitely have a pair in the camera box, and it looks as though they are brooding right now. They are also in and out of the other box, so hopefully they are are doing so in both.
I must get a sparrow box on the West wall, though, as this year a pair of spuggies were just settling in when the swifts turfed them out. Swifts are no1, but spuggies need homes too, and the last thing I want to see is nestlings being turfed out!
Went into the garden last evening as the sun was going down to enjoy the coolth. Happened to see a mouse scoot over the patio, then a bat swoop towards the house. Haven’t seen batty bat for years.
We seem to have a pair of wagtails nesting in a leftover stack of sacks of cement about 10m from our kitchen window. We'd seen one hopping around a lot and thought it was just finding a lot of bugs around but it appears they had other plans.
We're on hol in Mission Beach in Far North Queensland at the mo. Our neighbours include beautiful butterflies and - and you don't want to get between a male and chicks this mating season - cassowaries.
This could be a painted lady year, as many are being seen. We've seen a few, but most years we hardly see any, so here's hoping. I think in 2019, there were several million arriving, and I saw about 40 on one hedge.
Not exactly wild life but I was up at a local church the other evening when a local history group came to visit, and there's a cabinet at the back full of dead animals! Someone had done taxidermy of examples of local wildlife - hedgehog, dormouse, weasel and so on, and donated it to the church!
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Our birds fly/drop out of the nest and then hang around on the ground for a few days learning how to fly. You can tell because they're pretty much adult size but look a bit bedraggled (feathers not sleek) and there is usually a parent bird nearby screaming at you. Just leave them alone.
Thanks!
I'll have to make sure the neighbourhood cats are kept away!
We had an elderly golden retriever with us. Thank God he was very well trained and ignored the bird.
We have a pair in the box with the camera, and they've also been in and out of the other box, so we are hopeful of at least two broods. I can't speak for anyone else's, but my garden is a jungle so plenty of insects there for them!
We definitely have a pair in the camera box, and it looks as though they are brooding right now. They are also in and out of the other box, so hopefully they are are doing so in both.
I must get a sparrow box on the West wall, though, as this year a pair of spuggies were just settling in when the swifts turfed them out. Swifts are no1, but spuggies need homes too, and the last thing I want to see is nestlings being turfed out!