Diary 2003 Page Three

Bird Box Diary 2003 Page Three

Wednesday, 21st May, 2003
Mum was still asleep when I got up today. Dad arrived with the first food at 5.25 so I refilled the feeder. There was a great deal of preening activity today. Mum was doing the housework in the bottom of the nestcup and the chicks were scratching and preening.
There was more bad news last night when I had an email from Jeremy Pidgeon to say that it appeared that a squirrel had attacked one of his boxes and made a terrible mess of the nest. He took the chicks to the RSPCA but they were not too hopeful.
There was some encouraging news, though, Daphne has reported that her husband was about to remove the dead chicks from her box when he discovered that they were not so dead! At the moment, it is not clear whether Dad has reappeared after a night on the razzle, or Mum has been working double time. (Like they frequently do!!!) Anyway, things are looking more hopeful. There is a short (12 second) video linked to the icon. It is 344k. The chick is preening at 12 o'clock and Mum is rummaging around at 9.0'clock.

This afternoon, I was able to witness the first practice session for wing flapping. I was recording the video at the time and a clip is linked to the picture. It is 448k and lasts 16 seconds.

Thursday, 22nd May, 2003
It is wet, cold and miserable here, this morning. There is either low cloud or fog. Nasty! Things seem fine in the box. I have captured a super bit of video where you can see them compete for the food being brought in. You can see all seven but the one that gets the food closes up pretty quickly with a full mouth and tummy, I suspect! Just look at the eyes which are now all open.
There is a larger picture if you click on the small one.
Click on the icon for the video, which lasts 11 second and is 400k.

Friday, 23rd May, 2003
It amazes me how it is that within the space of two weeks the chicks have reached this stage of development. Today, there was one chick, who looks the more advanced than some, who tried to get onto the edge of the nest cup. I don't think it will be long before they are all out and around the sides. The cup is now so undercut that it is often difficult to see all seven chicks. I grabbed this still from a video this morning just after I had filled the feeder with mealworms. There are six gapes and a closed mouth in the seven o'clock position. Click on the picture for a larger version and on the icon for the video. The video shows a large chick testing his wings and Mum coming in to feed them for the first time today. It's rather a large one today of 576k and 17 seconds.

Saturday, 24th May, 2003
There was an interesting insight to the reaction to a predator in the nestbox this morning. I had just filled the feeder for the 6.00am breakfast sitting and was recording the expected feeding frenzy. The chicks were roosting calmly in the box; one was preening, when there was an alarm call from a parent. The chicks took notice but didn't react until they heard the cackle of a magpie on the lawn. Their reaction was immediate. They all withdrew to the corner of the box. There was a second cackle and then a third. Each time, the chicks cowered further back and huddled tighter together.
Twenty seconds later, Dad came in with food and all was normal.
The state of normality lasted for another twenty second before there was another alarm call and even Dad stayed very still. He listened and watched the nest-hole. After over a minute, the female began to call from outside so Dad relaxed and left the nest. Mum arrived with food shortly afterwards. The picture shows the chicks cowering on their own and one of Dad listening and watching and the chicks cowering.
There are two videos today. The first shows the chicks' reaction and the second shows all of them.

Video one
352K and 13 seconds

Video two
336k and 12 seconds

All asleep

Head count!

Give it to the little one!!

Sunday, 25th May, 2003
The chicks are almost a large as their parents, now. Last night, was the first time that I have seen the chicks with their heads under their wings to settle down for the night.
This morning, there has been a great deal of flapping and this has begun to break down the sides of the nest so that we can see more of the nest cup. The left-hand side of the nest is now almost non-existent.
I am expecting the chicks to fledge on Wednesday.
I had the following email from a lady, Jackie, who had signed our Guest Book. I think it needs to be shared:-

"Could you warn your visitors about a bird feeding pole we purchased from a garden centre. It comes in three pieces and costs about £10 You screw the two poles together and then attach the second hook so that you can then hang two feeders from it. All very useful but we had a tragic accident with ours as a young chaffinch must have slipped between the two hooks and got its leg trapped, then, subsequently broke it in his attempt to release himself. We freed him but he was too badly injured so we had to put him out of his misery. It was terribly upsetting. Since then we have taped the two hooks together with electric tape to make sure it cannot happen again. I have written to the RSPB but as yet have not received a reply."

Click on the pictures for larger versions.

This last picture is linked to a video. One of the things that upsets the many visitors who come to watch the box is that the larger chicks always rise above the smaller ones to compete for food. You will often hear them shout, "Give some to the little one!"
It is clear from this picture that there is one whose head appears smaller. This time, he is the one to get the food. Hurray! It is 328k and lasts for 10 seconds

Monday, 26th May, 2003
Last night was the first time that Mum did not return to the nest to roost. The chicks were on their own. The picture shows the bottom layer asleep; some with heads under wings and the top layer still preening. This morning, after I had filled the mealworm feeder at 5.45, both parents were very swift to take advantage and start the first feeds of the day. There were some very hungry chicks in there!

The second picture was taken after a magpie had moved on from the patio and normality was returned to the nest.

I have three videos today.

This video show the chicks behaving quite normally when they have a warning from Mum outside. Just watch how quickly they react to her call and the unseen threat!

312K and 10 seconds

This video shows the reaction of the chicks to a magpie cackling outside. They adopted their cowering posture after the first cackle and this was the fourth. There is a black flash in the video to indicate that I have removed a 10 second gap where they remained motionless. They were back to normal when one of the parents arrived with food.

360K and 11 seconds

This video shows both parents arrive to feed. Mum lands on Dad's head in her rush to get in. There were no faecal sacs to dispose of this time.

512K and 16 seconds

Some asleep some preening

Tuesday, 27th May, 2003
Mum was absent again last night and we all became concerned about the condition of some of the smaller chicks. There are four that appear more advanced and larger than the other three; they certainly get in the front of the queue for food! At one point, we thought that one had died and was under the 'pack', but all was well.
This morning was very wet with nasty, drifting drizzle and low cloud. The chicks have been very active and have been taking far more interest in the exit hole. At least one chick has taken a peek outside but has not been tempted....yet! The parents are still bringing food into the box which tends to indicate that they are in no hurry for their offspring to join them on the outside. I have noticed that the chicks have been fed with peanut pieces for the first time. The parents try to make sure that several chicks have a taste for it by allowing each, in turn, to sample what she has in her beak. For most, it really is just a taste.
The pictures, below show some events from yesterday. There is a video of the first recorded leap for freedom in the middle picture.
Click on any picture for a larger version.

The video is 20 seconds long and 640k

Wednesday, 28th May, 2003
This morning is mild (12.5°C) and calm. A good flying day, I should say! Feeding was already underway before I replenished the feeder at 5.45. After that, it was a bit hectic for the next 20 minutes or so. I got on with my scheduled tasks of deleting spam and junk (why anyone thinks that a happily married man of 63 needs penis enlargement is beyond me! I've never had any complaints!) Once that was done, I read the mail and newsgroups. Whilst doing this, it all went too quiet. I suspected the usual corvids so I went to the lounge in time to see our friendly neighbourhood sparrowhawk. I grabbed a video camera but before it could focus, the SH had dived into a hawthorn hedge. After it emerged, it flew off empty-talonned and calm was restored.
The feeding continued with mealworms, grubs and peanut bits and there have been several chicks taking an interest in the outside world but none has left.. so far. It is now 9.45. No videos... yet!

Dad arriving with a caterpillar

Mum about to leave the nest

Thursday, 29th May, 2003

This is the view from the lounge this morning. Early morning mist shrouds the River Cleddau. It looks like it will be a beautiful day to greet the world.

I was very surprised that not one of the chicks left yesterday. Hence no video. However, today the first three had left by 6.37. There are just four left and they seem to be taking turns at peeping out. Mum has been back in to feed them several times. I have also seen both parents visit the mealworm feeder and then fly off but I have not seen a sign of any of the four escapees, yet.
I did see a sparrow, who must have been a size 10, squeeze into the mealworm feeder and managed to get out of the other end with a mealworm.
Another interesting sight was when Mum came in to feed the magnificent seven and as she collected the faecal sac, one of her uncaring offspring jumped up to the hole to peep out and blocked her exit! Poor Mum! She tried some muffled cries to get the offender to move but it took its time. Eventually, Mum left; probably much relieved.
I am unable to add video, yet as the computer is capturing it from inside and the camcorder from outside. As we are taking the children riding this morning, I will not be able to do anything till later today. Meanwhile here are a few stills that I managed to grab.
Click on each image for a larger version.

This was the first picture that I grabbed today just after 5.30. It shows all seven chicks still there.

Here is the third one about to leave at 6.37.

Now only four left.

The last three went at 7.23; 7.34 and 7.35. More later.

Here is still from the video where a chick is blocking Mum's hasty retreat. The video is quite large as it lasts for almost 30 seconds and is 940K. It shows Mum's increasing frustration at not being able to get out and in the end, she has to resort to brute force!
I will add videos of each chick leaving as soon as I get more time. I have over four gigabytes of material for just the last two days. On top of this, I have a tape of them from the outside of the hole which is over two hours.

Friday, 30th May, 2003
I had a thrill last evening at about 8.30 when one of the chicks bumped into the lounge window and then settled in a bush right outside. Also, I heard the calls of the chicks in the hawthorn tree. I went out armed with a video camera but did not manage to get one decent shot of any of them. No sooner had I seen one than it was off to join Mum and Dad in the next branch. Eventually, they got to the front of the house and I saw them each fly off across the road to a large ash tree opposite. I was quite surprised at how well they can fly. They had already learned the technique of flap and rest in an arcing flight to conserve energy.
I have filled the feeder twice this morning and captured one of the parents using it. It is 184k and lasts for just 5 seconds so don't blink!

Click the image for a larger version

Monday, 9th June, 2003
It has been just over a week since the last update. During this time, the parents took the chicks to the bottom of the field behind our house. The returned very frequently to collect food from the feeders but would always set off to the far end again.
Later in the week, we began to see the chicks around the garden and they were feeding themselves. However, I was quite concerned as I had not seen more than two chicks at any one time.
On Friday morning, we were having breakfast when I noticed a large, pale and very upright bird roosting in the ash tree at the far end of the field. As I was preparing the binoculars to take a closer look, it dashed at a bird and flew off pursued by what appeared to be an adult bluetit.
Our sparrowhawks have been quite frequent visitors, lately.
This morning, I just saw four of the chicks all together on the peanut feeder. I managed to get a short video clip of two of them before a cock sparrow frightened them away.

The video is 552k and lasts for 8 seconds.