Saturday, May 26, 2007

Blue Tit Chicks

There's a nesting box in our back garden and every year it attracts blue tits. They've got a brood of chicks at the moment and it's fun to watch the parents flying backwards and forwards with caterpillars for the noisy chicks. I managed to get a picture of a little gaping mouth at the opening of the box.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well done on getting the photo. I have a bird box with 10 blue tit eggs in it at the moment - it's so exciting being so close to nature.
Sara from farmingfriends in Yorkshire

Anonymous said...

Every year I get a pair of swallows nesting in my shed/barn. This year we have two pairs. It is always a joy watching them swoop and soar around the house and over the fields, and their flying skills, as they hurtle back into the shed, under the car port and through a gap between its roof and wall, are truly breathtaking. The only cloud on the horizon of this natural vista is a hen harrier in the hedge further down the hill. He/she has taken young chicks off the clothes line under the car port when their parents have been teaching them to fly. The first time it happened, my late wife was watching them through the parlour window, only about ten feet from the line. Her scream, and subsequent tears, really got to me, and my explanation that the harrier's chicks had a right to live too rang hollow even to me. "Red in tooth and claw"? it certainly is. But fascinating nonetheless.

Vashti said...

Oh, I love tits. .o(what?) A couple of years back I saw a pair of long-tailed tits hanging out in my kitchen window tree. They've never been back. We get great tits and blue tits as well.

Used to be wrens and goldfinches too, but I haven't seen them in years. :/

Anonymous said...

This might be of interest to you. The Derek Mooney radio show in Ireland has set up a web cam in a blue tit's nest... http://www.rte.ie/radio/mooneygoeswild/features/mooneycam/index.html

Anonymous said...

Try again...
http://www.rte.ie/radio/mooneygoeswild/features/mooneycam/index.html

Jim and Barbara said...

After having our nest box vandalised last year we were really pleased that Great Tits have raised a family in it and all the chicks have survived and have now left to make there way in the world. I am just opening the champage and passing round the cigars.

iain said...

Hi
we have a nesting box with a camera in it we can see the pair of blue tits in the box, last summer we had 9 eggs they all hatched but none survived, apparently 10 mill chicks died in britain due to the wet start to teh summer, we had 7 eggs this yaer but only have 3 left although they are big now and fingers crossed look very strong