Bird Box Diary Two
My little blue tit is incubating her eggs. They should hatch around the 29th or 30th of May. Why not call back then?
Whilst
waiting for the eggs to hatch, I have made a meal worm feeder. Here is the
Mark II Version
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It has been lodged in the hawthorn tree. It is made from some scrap wood and a clear, plastic soft drink bottle. I am waiting for the blue tits to discover it and work out how to get at the meal worms. |
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I
had a complete surprise when Mummy Tit got off the 'eggs' this
morning. It took a moment or two to see that there were chicks in
there. Here are a couple of pictures. One shows the four(?)
chicks and the other shows the proud parents inspecting their first
born.
Click on an image to get a larger version.
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Monday,
28th May. This morning, there appear to be three eggs left. The picture shows Mum about to feed and 'clean' one of her chicks. I have also edited a short video clip of the event. If you click on the picture, you will open a new window with the video. It shows Mum feeding a chick and then wait for it to present its rear with a small parcel of 'waste'. I am amazed at the noise that the parents make trying to get them to wake up and feed. The video is 59k and lasts about 10 seconds. |
| Tuesday,
29th May. I can only see one egg left, this morning. I watched Mum eat a piece of a shell yesterday as another hatched. It is amazing to see the difference in the size of mouths between the most recent hatchlings and the first batch. The other surprising thing is the amount of noise that the parents make as they 'chatter' to the chicks. It appears to stimulate the mouth-opening and rear-end presentation. It also seems that the small-mouthed chicks miss out on the grubs that are brought in. Their mouths are so small for such big meals. The parents have not yet discovered the mealworm feeder that I put in the hawthorn tree. A robin did and he was using the perch to stand on and then he was able to get his head inside the feeder and steal the worms. The perch has now been sawn off and the robin appears very miffed! |
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Wednesday,
30th May |
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Thursday,
31st May
I don't think they parents have discovered
the mealworm feeder, yet. I have put more mealworms in there but I believe
that the robin has found a way to reach in from the hole at the other end that I
can't see. All the chicks appear to be fine and the parents are doing a
good job.
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Friday,
1st June Several of the chicks appear to have the beginnings of feathers on their wings. They even appear to preen themselves. The last two to hatch are still much paler than the rest. This morning, while I was watching, Mum came in with a huge caterpillar and one of the smallest was given it. I watched in amazement as this tiny creature waited for the grub to crawl down its throat. All this time, Mum watched anxiously. He managed to swallow it and I don't think he'll be hungry for some time! |
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Saturday, 2nd June
The differences in size is still noticeable. The older, darker chicks are developing their wing feathers while the younger, paler, smaller chicks still have almost no markings. It is always a relief when we witness one of the small ones being fed. It can be quite distressing at times when they appear to get overlooked for the bigger and more determined siblings.
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Sunday,
3rd June The chicks are darker, bigger and more hungry! The parents have still not discovered the mealworm feeder but the robin has solved the problem of how to get at them! He pushes his head in whilst still flapping his wings and, sometimes, manages to grab a worm. |
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this screen shot, you can see that their eyes are beginning to open.
The parents are very busy feeding the hungry chicks. Quite often
they are both in the box at the same time. It looks as if they have
found a good source of caterpillars. They appear to be very large
ones! We have been able to count all nine chicks on occasions this morning. At times it appears like a rugby ruck and maul! |
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