At last some success to report from my nest box camera. The camera is very low res and now very old. It was put up in 2009 so the software that runs it is at least 17 years old and the only computer that can run the software is 18 years old (and still works). Because of all this the pictures and sound aren't very good so I have been thinking of replacing it all, but I have been discouraged by the recent lack of success. Chicks were fledged from the box every year from 2009 - 2019 (mostly blue tits, once great tits and once tree sparrows). Since then nothing. There were three chicks in 2022 but they died and in the other years there was either no attempt or no eggs after a nest was built.
In the past winter a blue tit was roosting in the box every night, something I haven't seen before, and I wasn't really paying much attention until I noticed a nest had been built in late April. On 1st May I could see at least one egg (there must have been two) and the clutch of nine was complete by 8th May. This video shows what happened as eight chicks hatched on 15th May and grew for the next 20 days.
Fledging was on 3rd June. In previous years I have watched from the car with a camera but this time I watched on the nest box camera. Two chicks left while I was in the shower and the next five went quite quickly. No 8 was very reluctant and was still in the box at 09.30 when I had to go out but it had left by the time I got home. I was interested to see that the parents were aware that there was still one left, despite presumably being busy trying to keep up with the other seven outside.
Encouraged by this I plan to install a new box with a new camera and new software for much better pictures next year.
