Just had a Blue Tit giving serious consideration to a Tit Box we put up very
early in the year under the veranda just outside the patio doors.

Studied the hole, took a quick peep inside, looked around outside and then
took a deeper peep in the hole looked around outside again and then I
thought it was going in, but flew off into the bushes and started feeding,
but still very much around.

We did have similar activity earlier in the year but they nested nearby and
brought the 'kids' in to feed on our feeders

Questions.
Getting ready for next year?
Somewhere to overwinter?
What can we do? There are feeders for all birds
One of the old pair mentioned above?
One of the chicks?

And while this was going on, a Robin was on a plant pot underneath!!

Mike


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Inaugural General Meeting. Nothing less than a fantastic success.
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
www.rneba.org.uk to find your ex-Greenie mess mates
www.iowtours.com for all ex-Service Reunions. More being added regularly
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand

"'Mike'" wrote in message
...
Just had a Blue Tit giving serious consideration to a Tit Box we put up
very early in the year under the veranda just outside the patio doors.

Studied the hole, took a quick peep inside, looked around outside and then
took a deeper peep in the hole looked around outside again and then I
thought it was going in, but flew off into the bushes and started feeding,
but still very much around.

We did have similar activity earlier in the year but they nested nearby
and brought the 'kids' in to feed on our feeders

Questions.
Getting ready for next year?
Somewhere to overwinter?
What can we do? There are feeders for all birds
One of the old pair mentioned above?
One of the chicks?

And while this was going on, a Robin was on a plant pot underneath!!

Mike


--
www.rneba.org.uk for the latest pictures of the very first reunion and
Inaugural General Meeting. Nothing less than a fantastic success.
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
www.rneba.org.uk to find your ex-Greenie mess mates
www.iowtours.com for all ex-Service Reunions. More being added regularly
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a
Stand






its looking for food.........insects spiders etc

'Mike' wrote:
Just had a Blue Tit giving serious consideration to a Tit Box we put
up very early in the year under the veranda just outside the patio
doors.

Don't know about serious, but a BT has visited my box recently and prompted
me to clean it out (with sterilising boiling water) in case there were some
hungry parasites in there waiting for just such a visitation to get a new
host. I've seen it in previous years too.

It might be because the day-length is similar to that in Spring and they
have not noticed that days are shortening instead of lengthening. I don't
think you'll see any interest until the weather is bad enough to justify
their roosting in the box.

Mike.
--
If reply address = connectfee, add an r because it is free not fee.

"Mike Coon" wrote in message
...
'Mike' wrote:
Just had a Blue Tit giving serious consideration to a Tit Box we put
up very early in the year under the veranda just outside the patio
doors.

Don't know about serious, but a BT has visited my box recently and
prompted me to clean it out (with sterilising boiling water) in case there
were some hungry parasites in there waiting for just such a visitation to
get a new host. I've seen it in previous years too.

It might be because the day-length is similar to that in Spring and they
have not noticed that days are shortening instead of lengthening. I don't
think you'll see any interest until the weather is bad enough to justify
their roosting in the box.

Mike.
--
If reply address = connectfee, add an r because it is free not fee.


Thanks Mike.

Will keep an eye open for activity, but will keep the feeders topped up ;-))

Mike



--
www.rneba.org.uk for the latest pictures of the very first reunion and
Inaugural General Meeting. Nothing less than a fantastic success.
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
www.rneba.org.uk to find your ex-Greenie mess mates
www.iowtours.com for all ex-Service Reunions. More being added regularly
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand

'Mike' wrote:
"Mike Coon" wrote in message
...
'Mike' wrote:
Just had a Blue Tit giving serious consideration to a Tit Box we put
up very early in the year under the veranda just outside the patio
doors.

Don't know about serious, but a BT has visited my box recently and
prompted me to clean it out (with sterilising boiling water) in case
there were some hungry parasites in there waiting for just such a
visitation to get a new host. I've seen it in previous years too.

It might be because the day-length is similar to that in Spring and
they have not noticed that days are shortening instead of
lengthening. I don't think you'll see any interest until the weather
is bad enough to justify their roosting in the box.

Mike.

Thanks Mike.

Will keep an eye open for activity, but will keep the feeders topped
up ;-))
Mike

I have been observing the blue tits in these Spring-like days. Their
behaviour is very like Spring nest-finding activity with a pair definitely
involved. Unfortunately I cannot tell whether they are the pair that
successfully raised a couple of chicks to fledging this year. One bird,
probably the female, is hammering away inside the box. But I'm still
expecting this enthusiasm to wane as the days lengthen and the
weather becomes more autumnal.

Mike.
--
If reply address = connectfee, add an r because it is free not fee.

Malcolm wrote:
In article , Mike Coon
writes
'Mike' wrote:
"Mike Coon" wrote in message
...
'Mike' wrote: ...
It might be because the day-length is similar to that in Spring and
they have not noticed that days are shortening instead of
lengthening. I don't think you'll see any interest until the
weather is bad enough to justify their roosting in the box.
...But I'm still expecting this enthusiasm to wane as the days
lengthen and the weather becomes more autumnal.

Days shorten, perhaps ??

Yes, I hadn't meant to reverse my earlier bit of cosmology!

Mike.
--
If reply address = connectfee, add an r because it is free not fee.

"Mike Coon" wrote in message
...
I have been observing the blue tits in these Spring-like days. Their
behaviour is very like Spring nest-finding activity with a pair definitely
involved. Unfortunately I cannot tell whether they are the pair that
successfully raised a couple of chicks to fledging this year. One bird,
probably the female, is hammering away inside the box. But I'm still
expecting this enthusiasm to wane as the days lengthen and the
weather becomes more autumnal.

Same at our house. Had one pair look at our bird box several times. Another
on managed to get into our loft this week, came down through the open loft
hatch!

Mike Coon wrote:
It might be because the day-length is similar to that in Spring and
they have not noticed that days are shortening instead of
lengthening. I don't think you'll see any interest until the weather
is bad enough to justify their roosting in the box.

An update. The pair is still very interested in the nest box. I did see a
third bird taking an interest but it was definitely not welcomed!

When I saw a bird removing a fecal pellet, which has been reported
elsewhere as an activity of the female tidying up after a roosting male, I
thought I should have a night-time peek. This confirmed that a bird is
roosting, surrounded by poo that I did not leave when I cleaned the box out!

But I don't know whether the roosting is a reaction to the recent frosts or
a (premature) reservation manoeuvre in anticipation of nesting.

Perhaps it will stop when the clocks go back! ;-)

Mike.
--
If reply address = connectfee, add an r because it is free not fee.

On Oct 21, 6:25 pm, "Mike Coon" wrote:
Mike Coon wrote:
It might be because the day-length is similar to that in Spring and
they have not noticed that days are shortening instead of
lengthening. I don't think you'll see any interest until the weather
is bad enough to justify their roosting in the box.

An update. The pair is still very interested in the nest box. I did see a
third bird taking an interest but it was definitely not welcomed!

When I saw a bird removing a fecal pellet, which has been reported
elsewhere as an activity of the female tidying up after a roosting male, I
thought I should have a night-time peek. This confirmed that a bird is
roosting, surrounded by poo that I did not leave when I cleaned the box out!

But I don't know whether the roosting is a reaction to the recent frosts or
a (premature) reservation manoeuvre in anticipation of nesting.

Perhaps it will stop when the clocks go back! ;-)

Mike.
--
If reply address = connectfee, add an r because it is free not fee.

we have a box which a blue tit (not sure if its the same one) has
roosted for the last 3 years, but they have never nested in it. The
box they nest in has been used for roosting but not every year.