Diary 2005 Page two

Bird Box Diary 2005: Page Two

Wednesday, 27th April, 2005
Yesterday, I received a 1 gigabyte memory card for my new 'toy'. I bought a Minolta Z5 digital camera last Friday and have been dying to try it out on the birds on the patio. It has a 12 x optical zoom and the 4 x digital on top of that. I am very pleased with my first efforts and would like to share them with you.

I was up bright and early today to video the laying of the second egg. The pattern was the same as yesterday, with the egg arriving at 5.42 am. I counted 15 contractions that lasted for 40 seconds before she raised her body and laid the second egg.
She remained in the nest cup preening and tidying for some time. On one occasion, she was concerned with a long, springy hair the she wanted to move. Three times she tried to move it and then tried to tuck it in to stop it springing back. She didn't seem to notice that it still did spring back!

There are three videos today. One shows the female leaving the nest to reveal the two eggs. It has a piece cut out as she waited at the exit for ages; the second shows the offending, springy hair and the third is a poor quality one of a buzzard that I saw feeding in the field behind us this morning. Click a picture below to see the videos.

This afternoon, I was working on my computer when I saw the female enter the box. She was faffing around rearranging the eggs and tucking in loose ends. After a few minutes, the male arrived with an offering of food which she accepted. Before I could fire up the capture software, he was back with another tasty morsel and left. I started to video hoping he'd be back. He was, twenty minutes and three gigabytes of disk space later he returned with what appears to be some peanut. I have edited a short clip below. Click on the camera icon for the video and the small picture for a larger version.

I love the sound that's like a wolf whistle at the end of this clip ;-)

Thursday, 28th April, 2005
Another early start for me but not early enough! I started the video capture at 0538 this morning and was just in time to see the female tip forward in the nest and I reveal three eggs. So I missed the actually laying. I continued to record so as to get her exit.
It's really horrible morning; cold, windy and very wet. No wonder she was in no hurry to leave!
I received an email this morning from a new 'cyber-buddy' called Raul, in Denver, Colorado. He was very complimentary and pointed out a bad link to a video from yesterday. Thanks, Raul, it's now fixed.
I have been quite concerned that I didn't hear the usual happy, encouraging calls from the male BT this morning. In fact, it would seem that the female also missed them. When she got to the hole to leave, she seemed to call for him but I could not hear a reply! Worrying! This as made worse by the fact that, when I went into the lounge to watch the buzzard again, there was our persistent neighbourhood cat. We have been trying to dissuade it for weeks! It saw me and left but I need to finish the crèche that I am making to protect the ground-feeding birds.

Female leaving. 24 seconds: 916k

I also had an email from Rob Morris who is nine years old. He and his father have erected a collection of nest boxes to attract all kinds of birds. Take a look by clicking Robs logo.

Friday, 29th April, 2005
The fourth egg was laid this morning at 0549. The process seems to be easier each day. I am still concerned that I haven't seen or heard the male bluetit for a day or two.
The female eventually left the nest 12 minutes later. Between 7.15 and 7.30, she made eight entries with more soft nesting material. Her visits were very quick and she seemed agitated and had a sense of urgency.

As she leaves to reveal four eggs

More material added by 0730

Yesterday, I managed to finish the crèche that I have made which should help to protect the smaller birds from the cats and other predators. This morning, it had been moved by the badgers. They had also managed to knock over the drum of peanuts and the screw lid was off. I don't think they unscrewed it!! I have now replaced the crèche and the lid. It looks as if I shall have to move the crèche each evening as the badgers are used to finishing any uneaten seeds that are left.

This video shows how far the crèche has been moved by the badgers.

This link with a video of the female leaving this morning to reveal the four eggs.

Saturday, 30th April, 2005
The fifth egg was laid at 0553 this morning. A bit later than the others. It's a lousy morning; rain, mist and a lot of grey cloud. The female was, understandably, in no hurry to go outside, either. She eventually left at 0616 taking a small piece of rejected nest material with her.
Yesterday, I saw her bringing more material to the box. She would arrive with large beakfuls of 'stuff' and flick her head to allow it to scatter around the nest. She was out again almost immediately. I didn't see the male inside or outside the box but I am hoping that someone with more knowledge can say whether the sound file below is a BT or not. It's an edited clip of three calls strung together. In the first, you can hear the clicks of her contractions; in the last, you hear a rustle as she is about to leave the nest.
On two occasions this morning, I was aware that something was not right. On the first occasion, I heard a 'tap tap' which I'd heard before so I went into the lounge and found that it was a magpie on the patio. Its beak was tapping on the deck. That's just what I had suspected. The second occasion was a clue from the BT. She appeared scared and was listening. Again, a trip to the lounge confirmed the presence of the damned cat again! It didn't stay long. I hope it can still remember the sour taste of lime juice on its fur!
The female returned to the nest at 0730 and was very wet. There had been torrential rain for some time. Pictures and video links below. Larger pix as usual linked to the small ones.

The female about to leave

A very wet female

Stop press
I have just seen two BTs leaving the box. I was in the bedroom watching the box and saw the female enter with some strands of hair. A few seconds later, two birds exited and flew to the hawthorn tree where one fed something to the other. We are breathing again! I will now monitor the screen to catch a picture of them both inside.

11.30 am I have grabbed a very short video of the male feeding the female this morning.

1.45 pm Here is another video showing the female making a flying visit to the box with nesting material. She really didn't stay long!

Sunday, 1st May, 2005
The sixth egg was laid at the same time as yesterday's, 0553. Again, she was very reluctant to leave the nest but did so at 0625.
She was back in the box with a few of minutes and appears to have started incubation. It looks as if six will be the clutch this year. She has only left the box for short periods so far this morning. If this is the start of incubation, the chicks should hatch in 12 to 16 days.

Showing six eggs

Click for larger images

Monday, 2nd May, 2005
I was quite sure that there would be no more eggs as she was incubating almost all day yesterday. I didn't even get up to check until almost 6 this morning and so I had a surprise when I found that there were seven eggs when she left the nest at 0629. The little minx! She was back one minute later and I have seen the male feeding her inside the box.
10.30 am
As I write, the female is asleep on the eggs. However, she has been outside quite a lot this morning so maybe there will be another egg tomorrow?
I have just refilled the feeders outside. The bluetits have not yet started to use the mealworm feeder. I put a few fresh ones in every morning and tip the others onto the ground. A robin is never far away. In fact, most mornings, it comes to the patio as if to see where I am, to remind me to supply food!
Talking of food; the badgers must have tried to get at my peanut barrel last night. This morning, it was lying on its side in the middle of the deck. It should be right back in the far corner. Fortunately, the lid stayed screwed on!

Tuesday 3rd May, 2005
I thought that there could well be another egg today as she spent quite a deal of time off the eggs yesterday. When she left the nest this morning at 0616, she showed just the same as yesterday. So about 12 more days; 15th May maybe, we should start to hear the patter of very tiny feet!

Yesterday afternoon, I saw my first fledgling of the year. It was a spotty robin chick who was being fed by both parents. Now I know why they were so keen to get the escapee mealworms. I put out a small dish with extra rations. They took no time at all to know what it was and tucked in. Here is a cropped frame from the video that is linked to the picture. Just like you see in a well-known chocolate advert, he can manage 'three at a time, Baby!' Sometimes, like here, even four!

I am hoping that the bluetits discover the mealworms fairly soon. I assume that, as they haven't done so yet, they are not the same family that nested here before.

Still just seven eggs

Wednesday 4th May, 2005
Happy Jedi Day. May the Fourth be with you! No change this morning. Still seven eggs and incubation is continuing. The male is not being a very attentive mate, hunter/gatherer or feeder! He is rarely seen in the nestbox.

Thursday 5th May, 2005
I was most concerned yesterday for the health and well-being of my bluetits. I have mentioned that the male is very conspicuous by his absence from the nestbox and that the female is having to leave quite frequently, presumably to feed?
Yesterday, I was taking a small bowl of mealworms out for the robin family, when I saw a bluetit in the crèche feeding. He looked most unwell. He did not appear to be very aware of my presence and his beak was opening and shutting as if to gasp for air. He was fluffed up, too. It was too similar to the condition that I have seen with the finches that have salmonella poisoning.
This morning, I heard the pair calling to each other but, still the male didn't come to the box and the female was having to leave. I went to the lounge and saw them both in the hawthorn where the female, with fluttering wings, accepted some thing from him. She then flew off, away from our garden but returned to the nest within a couple of minutes.
She was no sooner settled than the 'chatter' started again. This time, I was very relieved to see an apparently healthy looking mate come in to feed her.
That was almost an hour ago and I haven't seen any further visits by the male. I do hope he is OK!

Friday 6th May, 2005
Yesterday, I only saw the male inside the box that once. It appears that he calls to her from the hawthorn and she rendezvous with him there, to take offerings of food. We saw this happen a couple of times from the lounge. The female is still spending time outside the nest; more than we have seen in the past. Also, she does not cover the eggs as we have seen before. She has been out of the box all the time that I have been writing this entry. It would not be so worrying if the temperatures were more tropical but it hasn't reach 50°F yet.
We haven't seen our sparrowhawks for several weeks which is good news but we did see the cat a couple of times yesterday which is not. It doesn't hang about when it sees us ,though!
The ground-feeders are now used to using the crèche. In fact, the robin has started to fold back its wings and dive straight through the mesh without a pause. Others can rise from inside or hop onto the mesh and then off. (She has just come back. That must be at least 2 or 3 minutes as I am a two finger typist!)
The robin is also getting used to seeing a small bowl of mealworms on the patio. I put a few in about three times a day at least. Viv says that she saw one at the badger feeding bowls by the window and it was looking in at her as if to ask for more supplies! Here are a few pictures of it at the bowl.

Saturday 7th May, 2005
I was able to use the stopwatch this morning on the female to see how long she was away. On one occasion, she left the nest for 8 minutes 32 seconds. Then a short one of 2 minutes 30 followed by a session of incubation for 31 minutes and then another two and a half minutes outside.

I have seen the male inside the box only once, at 8.30. I should think the eggs will take longer to hatch...if at all!

Sunday 8th May, 2005
It has been another frustrating morning watching the female leave the nest every few minutes. The male was seen twice at around 7.00 am but no more. She calls to him but, in the end, gives up and leaves the nest. I did manage to grab a video of one of his brief visits where he leaves with almost all the titbit that he'd brought in! If you look at the picture on the right, he is about to leave with his beak still full of something;- peanut, maybe?
He is certainly not pulling his weight in this partnership! Click on the camera to see the video. Don't blink or you'll miss seeing the male! After he has left, she turns the eggs and settles down to sleep again.

Monday 9th May, 2005
Not much change so far this morning. I have seen the male once between 6.00 and 8.00am but the female has been in and out several times. This was the pattern for most of the day. I didn't see the male inside again although I haven't spent much time in the study today.

Tuesday 10th May, 2005
It's another beautiful morning. We had a little excitement yesterday when I spotted the female sparrow hawk in the hawthorn. I managed to get the camera switched on but, before I could point it, she had gone. I popped in to see if the BT was brooding and she was but also pressed down in the nest cup watching the entrance hole.

Wednesday 11th May, 2005
I had a really nice email yesterday which I should like to share.

Dear Dave,

My mother was 80 last year and wanted a computer for her birthday (her first!).   We got her one and she has mastered e mail and basic web surfing. A little later a magpie broke into her blue tit nesting box and ate all the occupants, so for Christmas she wanted a replacement box.    I searched for dimensions on the internet, stumbled across your website, and became fascinated.   A heavy duty hardwood box (recycled old wardrobe) was constructed together with a very cheap IR webcam ( £15 new from ebay including some recording software) and presented to mother. She was a bit dubious at first but the box was mounted high up on a brick wall and connected to the PC.   After a few inspections mother forgot to check it daily but about a week ago spotted a nest complete with 10 eggs and BT.
Since then she has been glued to the camera !   On Sunday 9 eggs hatched and the feeding process is going on.    I visited yesterday to present her with a meal worm feeder (the design from your site) and worms have been ordered. I think she will be able to manage filling the feeder and she is certainly very enthusiastic.    Maybe next she will let me connect up the sound and install some speakers (she has been against this complexity up to now !).
The webcam is quite interesting as it has IR leds that turn on when there is not enough light, which is most of the time. However on a sunny day enough light comes in through the hole to allow the camera to display colour and some beautiful sheens can be seen.   Although no PC capture card is used, I think there is a limit to cable length, though I have extended the USB to about 18 ft with no problems. Although the videos are too big to send mother has been taking quite a few (about 300 MB for 90 seconds) with the camera capture software and it is very interesting to see these.    Next I will have to get some video editing software before she fills all 40GB of Hard Drive !    We are off for 10 days holiday tomorrow so that will have to wait for a bit.

Anyway thanks very much for a fine web site and a very interesting diary.

Best
Regards
Dennis

It is so rewarding to receive appreciation like this. Thanks Dennis.
Meanwhile, back to the diary. I am considering contacting Social Services about the lack of support from Mr. B.T. He is still an absent prospective father.
No sign of the hawk yesterday. I should see plenty tomorrow as we intend to visit Gigrin [http://www.gigrin.co.uk/index.html] to see the red kites. I hope to get some good pictures.