27/05 Third period of Nest Box Checks 2016

Third period of Nest Box Checks 2016

Nest boxes can now be targeted, I have always only monitored first breeding attempts as any late nesters are likely to have failed already this year; second broods are very infrequent  and usually fail in my experience.  This mean that I don't check empty boxes or boxes not progressing. 87 boxes checked in the period, several broods have already been ringed so not check again until later after fledging. Most blue and great tits have been sitting on eggs for the last week or so and some are near or have hatched by now with a few in advance of this. There is noticeable synchronisation this year as most will have ring-able chick from about Wednesday (1st June).

All nuthatch broods bar two have been ringed. One brood disappeared over three days; no sign of predation but the chicks looked about three days old earlier when I first looked with an adult brooding them; three days later the box was empty; failed attempt reason unknown. The other brood is out of sync and still had very small chicks on  Thursday probably only a couple of days old; late broods don't normally do well but we can hope.

Chick can be ringed when about seven to ten days old. They can be ringed after ten days but they have a growing instinct to leave the nest and older chick can explode out of the box if you are not careful. Getting them settled back in the box after ringing can be scary, leaving aside keeping them in the bird bag while removing each individual to ring. Seven or eight days is the optimum when they are quite docile.

As you lift the lid sometimes brooding adults explode at you with a load hiss, wings and beak open, all puff-up, even if you are expecting it, it still makes you jump!

As I was checking box WH07 at Snelsmore I looked down and noticed a song thrush nest about 1.5 metres below the box. It had four sky blue eggs then; Wednesday it had four newly hatched chicks; another nest record card to do!

I think food prey might be scarce. Of the broods ringed so far one or two have been quite small (2 to 4 chicks) and the chicks have grown faster than those with normal broods of 7+. This suggests that adults are having difficulty finding sufficient caterpillars etc. By the end of next week hopefully most broods will have been ringed and I can start looking forward to migration ringing; how quickly time flies, only 26 days to mid-summers day!

 

Summary (nest boxes occupied)

Great Tit: Snelsmore Common 16, Greenham Common 04, Mount Hill 13 Total 33

Blue Tit:   Snelsmore Common 30, Greenham Common 14, Mount Hill 18 Total 62
Nuthatch  Snelsmore Common 06, Greenham Common 02, Mount Hill 02 Total 10
Nest Boxes not occupied 31 including some nest failing at build stage, species uncertain. 

Ringed: Great Tit 53 Blue Tit 56 Nuthatch 43    (UPDATED 28-May-2016)

Failed (so far)

Nest Building Stage:  Great Tit 0 Blue Tit 1 Nuthatch 0

Eggs Stage:               Great Tit 1 Blue Tit 2 Nuthatch 0

Chick Stage:              Great Tit 0 Blue Tit 1 Nuthatch 1 

 

As last year the impression is that broods are smaller!