Exciting news from my nest box camera. The box was put up in 2009 and had a nest every year until 2019, first with great tits, once with tree sparrows and for nine years with blue tits. The tree sparrows were a nuisance because they built their nest so the camera couldn't see in, so there is now a 28mm entrance plate over the hole to allow only blue tits access. For the last four years the box was unused, although in one year a nest was nearly completed and then abandoned, probably because a sparrowhawk took the occupant.
This year things have looked more encouraging. I checked the camera every few days and noticed nest material first on 20 April.
And two days ago, on 06 May, the first egg.
Yesterday I think there was a second egg, although it wasn't easy to see, and today I expect we are up to three but the bird has covered them over while she is out.
In the nine years that the box was used by blue tits building started between 09 March and 04 April. The first egg was laid from 23 April - 10 May with clutches of 2-11 eggs. The later the first egg, the smaller the clutch tended to be. The total of eggs in nine year was 52, of which 51 hatched and all 51 fledged.
Three years ago I modified the box by putting in a slightly angled false back wall and moving the camera up and back as far as it will go so as to give a view of the whole of the floor and the entrance hole. Looking at it now the focus is a bit too close so the nest is slightly out of focus but it is too late to do anything about it this year. It will be fine once the chicks are hatched.The camera and the software are old and the only computer compatible with them is my 16 year old Sony. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that the sparrowhawk doesn't take one of the parents and the camera and computer last long enough to see the birds fledge. I'll put regular updates on a separate page accessible via Nestbox Cam 2024 at the top of the blog.
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