Blue tit nest box cam - page 5

The female spends most of her 'spare' time on housekeeping jobs with her head thrust deep inside the nest. The chicks, in the pictures below, are unceremoniously pushed to one side whilst the nest cleaning goes on! Over thorough cleaning meant that for a few days it was impossible to clearly see the nest and many of the blue tits' chicks as the rim collapsed. The chick on the right seems to be saying 'Don't forget me!'

Click on any of the images below for an enlarged view of the chicks

Eleven chicks produce a lot of waste, particularly as they are now being fed with nutritious mealworms! The chicks stick their bottom in the air, (picture on the left below) and mum, or dad, take the blue tit droppings away in their beaks to keep the nest clean. It's all about good team work and is very effective!

By 11 p.m. mum has had a busy day and needs some well earned sleep. There's always at least one or more of the eleven chicks that are restless, even at this late hour. Mum decides to sleep on the nest's rim, rather on top of the chicks as she normally does. (Even though it's dark outside the infra red vision of the camera picks up the images.) By the morning of the 28th May the chicks, now 12 days old, have their eyes open and are growing rapidly.

Thursday 30th May - The chicks are now 2 weeks old

Mum still stays with her brood at night. 'Dad' has been very good at taking his share of feeding and general welfare, including nappy changing! The weather has been terrible this week and last, with rain every day, so the mealworms have been a real bonus in enabling the parents to get live food for their chicks. Click the picture below for an enlarged view.

All 11 blue tit chicks are now growing rapidly. As soon as I fill the mealworm feeder the adults fly to get the worms before I've walked more than a few yards away. Chicks is hardly an appropriate word any more, as they're now miniature adults with the blue tits' distinctive plumage and markings. Many are preening regularly and beating their wings rapidly. They've also found their voices and are getting very noisy, particularly when food arrives.

Friday 31st May - New page created Click here to visit

Nest Box Cam - page 1	Installing the camera
Nest Box Cam - page 2	Nest building and the subsequent 11 eggs
Nest Box Cam - page 3	The chicks - hatching and the first 3 days
Nest Box Cam - page 4	Feeding the chicks
Nest box Cam - page 6	The final chapter