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.

AND, yesterday morning, one at a time, 4 flew the nest. One didn't do too
well and his/her attempt at flying was not too god and it fell into the
garden amongst the bushes, only to be seen later rising from the vegetation
and making off. Another flew into one of the patio doors but suffered no
damage as it shot off down the garden. Had the door been open, it would have
come indoors. The others with some hesitation, took off.

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

--

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

....................................

"'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
...................................
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

--
It is very strange, and very melancholy,
that the paucity of human pleasures
should persuade us ever to call hunting
one of them. (Samuel Johnson)

"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
...................................
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


--

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

....................................

"'Mike'" wrote in message
...
snip
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

It's those little green caterpillars that give the chicks their
yellowy-green colour. There was a guy who hand-reared some BT chicks on
mealworms and they didn't look green! I read that they live on oak trees
and as the leaves get older and darker, the caterpillars consume more
chemicals, tannins I expect, and become too toxic. Hence the one brood.

Dave

--
Dave & Viv are living happily ever after in Pembrokeshire.
www.daviv.com