Blue tit questions
 

Quite a few I am afraid.

Just outside the Patio doors, under the veranda and about 8 - 10 ft from
where I sit at the computer, we have an 'ornamental' tit box. I say
'ornamental' because it is a fancy thing looking like a house with fancy
pictures on it and 'Love Nest' just over the hole!!

We put this up for 'decoration' in the Spring and low and behold a Tit
showed interest, went inside and moved on.

We now have a Blue tit which investigated, tapped the hole from outside and
inside and now, every night just as it gets dusk, it pops in for the night.
Been doing this for over a week to our knowledge.

Doesn't bother about us, sitting here waiting for it, just inside, glass in
hand ;-) (Birdwatching with ALL the comforts)

Questions. Would this be male or female? Is it likely to nest in the Spring?
Is there anything I should do different to what I am doing now? (My instinct
is NO). I have a conventional RSPB nestbox in the hedges out of view. Can I
bring that out nearer or should I leave it where it is? I do pass a garage
near a main road with about 5 or 6 Tit boxes side by side. Is this correct?

Looking forward to some advice.

Many thanks

Mike

--
www.rnshipmates.co.uk for ALL Royal Navy Association matters
www.rneba.org.uk. The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association 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 be there.

Blue tit questions
 

"'Mike'" wrote in message
...
Quite a few I am afraid.

Just outside the Patio doors, under the veranda and about 8 - 10 ft from
where I sit at the computer, we have an 'ornamental' tit box. I say
'ornamental' because it is a fancy thing looking like a house with fancy
pictures on it and 'Love Nest' just over the hole!!

We put this up for 'decoration' in the Spring and low and behold a Tit
showed interest, went inside and moved on.

We now have a Blue tit which investigated, tapped the hole from outside
and inside and now, every night just as it gets dusk, it pops in for the
night. Been doing this for over a week to our knowledge.

Doesn't bother about us, sitting here waiting for it, just inside, glass
in hand ;-) (Birdwatching with ALL the comforts)

Questions. Would this be male or female? Is it likely to nest in the
Spring? Is there anything I should do different to what I am doing now?
(My instinct is NO). I have a conventional RSPB nestbox in the hedges out
of view. Can I bring that out nearer or should I leave it where it is? I
do pass a garage near a main road with about 5 or 6 Tit boxes side by
side. Is this correct?

Looking forward to some advice.

Many thanks

Mike

Just leave well alone Mike, if the Tits take a fancy to your box
they will nest in it.
I remember the first box I made, the Tits started pecking around
the hole and I thought they was making it bigger, so I cut the hole
bigger for them.
They left never to be seen again at that box.
I found out later they was marking there territory.
Made another box with smaller hole and they have nested there
every year since.

HTH
Wally

Blue tit questions
 

'Mike' wrote:
Quite a few I am afraid.

Just outside the Patio doors, under the veranda and about 8 - 10 ft
from where I sit at the computer, we have an 'ornamental' tit box. I
say 'ornamental' because it is a fancy thing looking like a house
with fancy pictures on it and 'Love Nest' just over the hole!!

We put this up for 'decoration' in the Spring and low and behold a Tit
showed interest, went inside and moved on.

We now have a Blue tit which investigated, tapped the hole from
outside and inside and now, every night just as it gets dusk, it pops
in for the night. Been doing this for over a week to our knowledge.

Doesn't bother about us, sitting here waiting for it, just inside,
glass in hand ;-) (Birdwatching with ALL the comforts)

Questions. Would this be male or female? Is it likely to nest in the
Spring? Is there anything I should do different to what I am doing
now? (My instinct is NO). I have a conventional RSPB nestbox in the
hedges out of view. Can I bring that out nearer or should I leave it
where it is? I do pass a garage near a main road with about 5 or 6
Tit boxes side by side. Is this correct?
Looking forward to some advice.

Many thanks

Mike

I'm pretty sure that'll be the male. You may even see, as I did a few weeks
ago, a potential mate cleaning up after him if he leaves messes. Bonding is
a strange business! See http://www.mybitoftheplanet.com/ for detailed
narratives of BT nesting over the years,

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

Blue tit questions
 

"'Mike'" wrote in message
...
Quite a few I am afraid.

Just outside the Patio doors, under the veranda and about 8 - 10 ft from

Snip

Looking forward to some advice.

Many thanks

Mike

www.rnshipmates.co.uk for ALL Royal Navy Association matters

If you had a camera inside your box, it would be easier to tell the sex of
your rooster ;-) My experience is that it has been a male bird that has
taken over the box and then uses it to try to attract a mate next spring.
Generally, they are messy little devils and crap in the box. If they do get
a mate, and they always have, she will then take over and roost inside but
not before she has religiously removed every dropping, one by one!

If it is more ornamental than practical, she will not accept this as a
'des-res' and find another mate/box. I shouldn't touch anything. Since BTs
are very territorial, I can't see the reason for a row of boxes for them.
I'd be more likely to suspect that the boxes at the garage have larger holes
and are designed to attract a community of sparrows who do nest close
together.

Good luck. I am still waiting for a rooster to occupy my new box which now
has a colour camera inside. I bought one of these and would thoroughly
recommend it.

http://www.handykam.com/shop-buy-pro...era-system.htm

You can read an excellent review of the box and camera he-

http://www.beautifulbritain.co.uk/ht...bluetitcam.htm

Cheers,

Dave.

--
Dave Hall:- www.daviv.com Webcam & videos of badgers and foxes on our patio
and bluetits in their nestbox.

Blue tit questions
 

On Dec 2, 10:11 pm, "'Mike'" wrote:
Quite a few I am afraid.

Just outside the Patio doors, under the veranda and about 8 - 10 ft from
where I sit at the computer, we have an 'ornamental' tit box. I say
'ornamental' because it is a fancy thing looking like a house with fancy
pictures on it and 'Love Nest' just over the hole!!

We put this up for 'decoration' in the Spring and low and behold a Tit
showed interest, went inside and moved on.

We now have a Blue tit which investigated, tapped the hole from outside and
inside and now, every night just as it gets dusk, it pops in for the night.
snip
Questions. Would this be male or female? Is it likely to nest in the Spring?

If the hole is too large, you may find that nesting Blue Tits will be
ejected by House Sparrows, should this site appeal to the latter.

Got to be good news, given the comparable states of the population of
these two species, so perhaps enlarge the hole to make sure the
Sparrows don't have a problem ;-))) Just kidding.

Blue tit questions
 

Dave wrote:

Good luck. I am still waiting for a rooster to occupy my new box which now
has a colour camera inside. I bought one of these and would thoroughly
recommend it.

Be warned - having a camera in a nest box can be very stressful!

I've put cameras in boxes and it's very exiting when a bird starts to
build a nest and lay eggs. The problems come when the eggs hatch and
there's a chick that's a little smaller than the rest. Over a few days
you see it struggling to get food, but is unable to compete with its
siblings. It's distressing to see it get weaker, with the adults not
being concerned, and eventually it goes missing because it's died and
the adults have disposed of it.

Jim Ford

Blue tit questions
 

Many thanks Wally , Dave, Jim and John M.

All your points are noted and I am now wondering if I should get some nest
boxes with bigger holes and put them elsewhere in the garden for the
Sparrows and one more technical question. If the Blue tit is male and makes
a mess in the box over the Winter, should I when it's back is turned, clear
it out in the early Spring or 'let nature' take it's course? Gut feeling is
let nature do it, it certainly seems to be doing well at the moment ;-))

Thanks folks

Mike


--
www.rnshipmates.co.uk for ALL Royal Navy Association matters
www.rneba.org.uk. The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association 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 be there.





"'Mike'" wrote in message
...
Quite a few I am afraid.

Just outside the Patio doors, under the veranda and about 8 - 10 ft from
where I sit at the computer, we have an 'ornamental' tit box. I say
'ornamental' because it is a fancy thing looking like a house with fancy
pictures on it and 'Love Nest' just over the hole!!

We put this up for 'decoration' in the Spring and low and behold a Tit
showed interest, went inside and moved on.

We now have a Blue tit which investigated, tapped the hole from outside
and inside and now, every night just as it gets dusk, it pops in for the
night. Been doing this for over a week to our knowledge.

Doesn't bother about us, sitting here waiting for it, just inside, glass
in hand ;-) (Birdwatching with ALL the comforts)

Questions. Would this be male or female? Is it likely to nest in the
Spring? Is there anything I should do different to what I am doing now?
(My instinct is NO). I have a conventional RSPB nestbox in the hedges out
of view. Can I bring that out nearer or should I leave it where it is? I
do pass a garage near a main road with about 5 or 6 Tit boxes side by
side. Is this correct?

Looking forward to some advice.

Many thanks

Mike

--
www.rnshipmates.co.uk for ALL Royal Navy Association matters
www.rneba.org.uk. The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association 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 be there.

Blue tit questions
 

Jim Ford wrote:
... It's distressing to see it get weaker, with the adults not
being concerned, and eventually it goes missing because it's died and
the adults have disposed of it.

As I reported here a few years ago, it's even worse when the dead chick is
largish and in rigor mortis and fails to co-operate with the ejection. Then,
I could see the parents were spending too much time trying to extract it so
I sneaked in when they were not looking and removed the corpse.

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

Blue tit questions
 

What diameter holes are we talking about here? I have quite a long garden
and it would be nice to attract some nesting birds in the Spring.

Blue tit questions
 

On 3/12/07 21:01, in article , "Topref"
wrote:

What diameter holes are we talking about here? I have quite a long garden
and it would be nice to attract some nesting birds in the Spring.



The RSPB has a web site that advises on attracting birds to your garden,
what kind of boxes to use etc. It's a good place to start, IMO.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Blue tit questions
 

"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
On 3/12/07 21:01, in article , "Topref"
wrote:

What diameter holes are we talking about here? I have quite a long garden
and it would be nice to attract some nesting birds in the Spring.



The RSPB has a web site that advises on attracting birds to your garden,
what kind of boxes to use etc. It's a good place to start, IMO.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'



Thanks Sacha. Have just ordered a booklet from them.

Blue tit questions
 

On 3 déc, 21:48, "'Mike'" wrote:
Many thanks Wally , Dave, Jim and John M.

All your points are noted and I am now wondering if I should get some nest
boxes with bigger holes and put them elsewhere in the garden for the
Sparrows and one more technical question. If the Blue tit is male and makes
a mess in the box over the Winter, should I when it's back is turned, clear
it out in the early Spring or 'let nature' take it's course? Gut feeling is
let nature do it, it certainly seems to be doing well at the moment ;-))

As a compromise you could throw in some of the powder used for
sanitizing bird-tables, though I would personally demount the box and
shake out any loose residues first.

As you are looking for all and any advice, try www.birdforum.net .
Select the "forums" tag and scroll down to " Garden Birds, Bird
Feeding and Nestboxes"

Blue tit questions
 

On 3 déc, 23:58, Sacha wrote:
On 3/12/07 21:01, in article , "Topref"

wrote:
What diameter holes are we talking about here? I have quite a long garden
and it would be nice to attract some nesting birds in the Spring.

The RSPB has a web site that advises on attracting birds to your garden,
what kind of boxes to use etc. It's a good place to start, IMO.

After that, go to the BTO website and order their booklet,
"Nestboxes".
You might consider joining the BTO at the same time ;-)