Nest box update

I read recently that blue tit chicks eat about 100 caterpillars each per day.  That means these are getting through up to 900 per day.  If each parent does half of the work it means each bringing a caterpillar every 2½ minutes for 16 hours, which is probably about what they are doing.  One parent habitually pauses on the guttering before flying in.

Here is the other with a beakful of what looks like chewed flies.

By the time they fledge the chicks will have eaten close to 20,000 caterpillars and there are another four boxes in the garden with blue tits (that I know of).  That means blue tits alone will have eaten 100,000 caterpillars in three weeks. And there are great tits, coal tits, tree sparrows and all sorts of other birds in the garden.  If it wasn't for them the world would be overrun by caterpillars.

Today is day 17 and the chicks are fairly well developed.  They are now sitting near the front of the box and are taking a great interest in the entrance (because that's where the food comes from!) but I haven't yet seen any climbing up to look out.

They hatched on 15 May


Here they are at 10 days of age.


Last night was the first time mother hasn't slept in with them, usually a prelude to fledging.  She probably thought she would get more rest in a bush somewhere.

In previous years the blue tit chicks have fledged at 18, 19 or 20 days so these will go in the next three days.  I will post an update when they do.