"Alf King" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 10 Jun 2011 07:19:43 +0100, "Dave Hall"
wrote:

"'Mike'" wrote in message
.. .
Many thanks for the advice posted over the last few weeks. Was able to
watch from the comfort of the chair the BlueTits make their nest and
raise
their family.
snip
Seen nothing of them since, BUT, I have been out a lot, in demand here
there
and everywhere :-))

Questions. Not much life, in fact NO life around the nest, so, do I
leave
it as it is? Clean it out? Leave it for them to build on next year?
Leave
it because they may be back for another brood?

Mike
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Remember, a statue has never been erected to a critic.

Good news, Mike.
I only had three survivors this year from eight eggs. Three didn't hatch
and one chick died. Details in the diary at www.daviv.com
I had to clean my box because of the corpse but the usual time would be
October. BTs have been know to raise a second brood, I believe. As for
not
seeing them, over the last 11 years of diaries, we have found that the
parents take the chicks some distance from the nest. After about two
weeks,
they come back and will be seen as a family in the garden being shown the
best feeding and searching spots. It's like a game of 'Follow my Leader"!
Have a camera at the ready for some family acrobatics!

Dave


I think you'll find that Blue Tits are single brooded being heavily
reliant on particular species of caterpillars with a limited period of
emergence for rearing the young before fledging. Great Tits can raise
two broods however.

Alf King

Thank you Dave and Alf

We like the bit about their diet being caterpillars ;-)))

Will keep you all informed as to what happens next.

Mike


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Remember, a statue has never been erected to a critic.

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