07/05 Nest Box Checking

I did another round of nest box checking week commencing 07-May-2018. On Tuesday checked the Peaked Hill/Aldernbridge Gully boxes at Greenham Common (32 boxes) Thursday checked boxes at the Bagnor Estate (37 Boxes) and Snelsmore Common (61 boxes); total 130 boxes and 92 occupied. Most had sitting birds, two at least had chicks and I ringed the Nuthatches (6 chicks at FS stage) at Snelsmore Common on Saturday. On my last visit to box A05 at Mount Hill I found a dead Blue Tit trampled into the nest debris. It had been ringed at the Bagnor Feeder October 2017. I was not sure of the ID of the eggs but thought the eggs were Great Tit, sure enough on this visit there was a sitting Great Tit. Either the Blue Tit was caught and killed by the Great Tit pair when investigating the box or the Great Tit pair had usurped the box and killed the original occupant. At the same box while only a three steps up the ladder, a young Badger wandered by; unusual to see one out and about three or four hours after dawn.

Looks like peak hatching for many of my boxes will be week commencing 14-May so the week after I should be busy pullus ringing.

Species	Occupied
BLUTI	55
COATI	1
GRETI	29
NUTHA	7