Checking Nest Boxes – part 2

Yesterday afternoon, I checked the new nest boxes on
Allerthorpe Common again, with the BTO bird ringer who is also a member of the
reserve’s volunteer group. Now all five of the boxes with 28mm holes are in
use. One has a nest just a quarter built, two have blue tit eggs that are still
being incubated and two have blue tit chicks. One brood of eight chicks were
very small – their eyes had only just opened – while the other brood of ten
were bigger and had their primary feathers appearing. They were large enough to
be ringed.
Ringing a blue tit chick
Ten chicks returned to the box
In both boxes with eggs, the adult female was sitting, so we were able to remove them for ringing, then ‘post’ them back into their boxes. They both appeared to settle back on their eggs immediately. We recorded every detail of the progress of each nest. All the information gathered will be entered into the BTO's Nest Record Scheme.
Adult blue tit getting its ring
The box in my garden also has chicks in …
Ringing a blue tit chick
Ten chicks returned to the box
In both boxes with eggs, the adult female was sitting, so we were able to remove them for ringing, then ‘post’ them back into their boxes. They both appeared to settle back on their eggs immediately. We recorded every detail of the progress of each nest. All the information gathered will be entered into the BTO's Nest Record Scheme.
Adult blue tit getting its ring
The box in my garden also has chicks in …