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2007 Diary | ||
| Robins: nested very early in the open box. First egg 21Feb, 4 eggs by 3Mar. Three hatched 19Mar, abandoned in bad weather 20Mar. Started again with first egg 30Mar, four by 2Apr but three removed the same day and final egg abandoned. | ||
| Blue tits: started nested in the hole box. Partial nest abandoned 25Mar, probably because Blackbirds start nesting nearby. | ||
| Blackbirds: found a nest with 2 eggs 31Mar, 4 eggs by 2Apr. Two eggs predated by magpie, two hatch 14Apr and left nest 26Apr. Second nest found 4May, with four eggs 8May. All four hatched by 21May but nest abandoned 23May, no obvious cause. Third nest built in a fairly open position and sitting 4Jun, predated 5Jun. Fourth nest found 17Jun, first egg 19Jun. Four eggs by 22Jun, all hatched by 4Jul. One leaves or falls 13Jul, two leave 17Jul and the last 18Jul. | ||
Wed 25Jul07 | Female and Male Blackbirds were around for a few days and both seen taking food to fledgelings. The last couple of days only the male has been seen taking food, no female. Has she moved further off or have we lost her? | |
Late evening we could identify where three fledglings were being fed, got close enought to the one in the ceanothus for a picture. | ||
Last Blackbird youngster was in the nest overnight. After sitting on the nest edge most of the early hours with the parents calling it left at 07:40. Maybe the last of the nest photos this year after 5 months. | ||
Lots of pushing and shoving for the three in the nest on a wet start to the 14th day. No sightings of the fourth for a couple of days. The first of the three still in the nest sat on the edge most of the morning, leaving at around 11:15. The second left just after 17:00. the third was still there as it got dark at 21:30. | ||
Day starts with three in the nest, all lively. | ||
Twelve days, still three in the nest and increasingly restless. | ||
Early in the day, only three left in the nest. Calls and parents taking food a short way along the fence, the first out seems to be OK. A Goldfinch family have become regular visitors, but feathers are found under the feeder; probably the Sparrowhawk which was seen earlier. | ||
Nest getting very crowded on the tenth day, climbing on each other and stretching. Late in the day, at 21:19 one leaves, or falls? | ||
Feathers growing and mother is spending longer periods off the nest. | ||
Local cats showing an interest, try protection with spikes and cat repellant on the fence. | ||
Growing day by day. | ||
Large enough to fill the bottom of the nest, some eyes open. | ||
Feed me. | ||
Another day of snoozng and eating. They are a range of sizes, 36 hours start makes a difference. Line of feather growth down the back is starting to become noticable. | ||
Third day in the nest and all four visibly growing. | ||
Four chicks by first light, incubation by mother and feeding by both parents all day. | ||
Third egg cracks at 11:00, out at 11:15. Fourth egg cracks at 21:30 as the light fades. | ||
Twelve days and the first chick starts hatching around 16:15 and out by 16:30, the second is out at 17:15. | ||
Dry start to the eleventh day. | ||
Drizzle start but brighter for the tenth day. A cat got close enough to see the eggs, not interested in eggs but now knows where there is a nest. Parents returned after an hour or so but looking dangerous for when there are young. | ||
More wet weather. | ||
Eight days and rain forecast. | ||
Seventh day and relatively dry. | ||
Another day on the nest. | ||
Fifth day is cool for June but dry. | ||
Brighter start, but turns wet again. | ||
Another wet one for the third day sitting. | ||
Sitting tight on her four eggs as the day turns very wet. | ||
Starting a damp drizzly day on the nest, on all day apart from short breaks and a fourth egg arrives between 16:10 and 17:15. | ||
Another afternoon egg, somewhere between 16:00 and 17:00. | ||
Second egg, around 16:30 again. | ||
It is close but we can get a camera in. The first egg arrives around 16:30. | ||
Mon 18Jun07 | Female Blackbird sitting early. An egg or still forming the nest? This is difficult to get to even with a mirror, deep in the spiky branches. Quite high up, no obvious branches above to attach a camera. Could it be too exposed from the top? | |
Sun 17Jun07 | Another nest in the pyracantha. The fourth and not far from the first. The Blackbirds are carrying nest material, still building. | |
Tue 5Jun07 | Two eggs in the nest, one broken and the grass lining looks disturbed. Was the nest site too open to last long? The third nest attempt we've seen and abandoned. | |
Mon 4Jun07 | The male Blackbird is singing strongly again. there's a new nest in the fork of a Lilac, too far for a camera. The female looks to be sitting. Young pied wagtails about. | |
A bad day for the Blackbirds. The chicks appeared fine at last light yesterday, around 21:15. This morning at 04:30 there is no movement, the parents visit but don't sit. By 07:00 it is clear the young are all there but cold and the nest has been abandoned. No obvious cause why, they all seemed healthy only 10 hours before. There are a lot of ants about, there were one or two before but dozens today. Did they cause the nest to be abandoned or is it a coincidence? | ||
First full day feeding. Often two or three beaks visible, rarely all four. | ||
Busy early morning. By 08:30 it looks like two more chicks have hatched leaving only one egg. The fourth egg hatches at 11:34. | ||
Morning and four eggs. First egg hatched at around 11:30, but only the one chick as it gets dark. | ||
Start the day still restless and still with four eggs. | ||
Nothing yet, but checking the eggs every minute or two at 08:00. | ||
Eleventh day sitting. Previous eggs hatched after 11 days and female restless just as she was then. Those youngsters feeding openly now and only the breast streaking differs from their parents. | ||
Robins, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Starlings and Sparrows all taking food away, presumably to active nests nearby. Magpies also showing an interest in the feeding. | ||
Eighth day sitting for the first eggs. Magpies around, they will be aware of several nests in the area, if the don't know exactly where they are. | ||
A wet day on the nest. | ||
Mr Blackbird feeding Mrs on the nest. | ||
Another day sitting and turning. The two from the first brood appearing less often, although father Blackbird is stil taking food somewhere. Have they moved further away? | ||
Just the four eggs and sitting tight from first light. This will be the fourth day sitting for the first eggs laid. | ||
Four eggs confirmed by 07:30 this morning. Not clear when it arrived but the fourth egg arrived later in the day last time. A better camera position is not available without a lot of disturbance. | ||
Still three eggs at 08:30. The two youngsters are still around, feeding for themselves as well as being attended to by Mr Blackbird. They even visit the new nest site, perhaps as a potential roost? | ||
Three eggs for the Blackbirds in new nest and mother appears to be sitting on them. | ||
Both young Blackbirds feeding in the open, after a week of keeping to the bushes and being fed by parents. Meanwhile, Mother Blackbird is building a new nest, in deeper cover just above the Robin box. | ||
Nothing in the Blackbird nest, Robin box or Blue Tit box. The young Blackbirds are seen in the bushes, although not together. From where the parents take food they are feeding two of them. There are a pair of Robins about, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Sparrows, Dunnocks and Pigeons. All must have nests somewhere but the only one we can see is the Magpies in the leylandii. | ||
Blackbird nest empty. Parents still seen feeding the young further along the fence under cover of various shrubs. | ||
Both chicks spend much of the day on the edge of the nest, preening or stretching. The older (lighter) one leaves before 17:30 and the younger one leaves with encouragement from the mother at 20:15. | ||
Chicks becoming very active | ||
Growing Blackbirds. Magpies look to be nesting in distant leylandii, reduces prospects for second brood. Good news is the first sighting of swifts here this year | ||
More day by day of the Blackbird chicks | ||
Recognisable as young Blackbirds | ||
Both chicks have eyes open | ||
Feathers developing nicely | ||
A week since hatching | ||
Still hungry | ||
Blackbird chicks growing, day by day | ||
Colder start, but Blackbirds feeding well | ||
Both Blackbird chicks making rapid progress on the third day after the younger one hatched | ||
Mother Blackbird mostly on the nest all day, feed visits by both parents | ||
Another warm day for the Blackbirds | ||
Second chick hatches around 06:00. Both Blackbird parents feeding their two new chicks on a warm and sunny day. | ||
Eleventh day and another Magpie raid at 07:20 breaks one egg, mother removes remains of shell, two eggs left. First egg hatches around 12:15. | ||
Day 10 for the Blackbirds. one egg taken by Magpie at 18:46 | ||
Ninth day for the Blackbirds. Robins are around but not near the box, are they nesting somewhere else now? Pair of Goldfinches visiting regularly, must be nesting somewhere locally | ||
Blackbirds, day 8. The Blue tits may be nesting in a hole in a wall next door but one | ||
A week for the Blackbirds, elsewhere in the garden there is goldfinch gathering nesting material | ||
Blackbirds sixth day much like the fifth, while not a lot of news from either the Robins or Blue Tits | ||
Blackbirds fourth day sitting | ||
Blue Tit box not visited for 11 days now; try moving it out of range of the Blackbirds | ||
Robins around, but not on the nest despite cold early morning. The last egg looks abandoned | ||
Male Blackbird guards the nest while female is absent | ||
Blackbirds sitting all day | ||
Robins make only brief visits before 08:00 | ||
Blackbirds sitting tight on their four eggs | ||
Robins are stll visiting the nest and single egg | ||
Blackbirds sitting on 3? No, a fourth egg is laid around 16:00 | ||
Another bad day for the Robins. Egg 4 is laid about 11:00 but is soft or breaks. It is removed around 13:30, but so is a second egg at 16:30 and third at 18:30 leaving only one. Were they damaged? | ||
Robins 3, Blackbirds 3. | ||
The Blue Tits are not visiting the box because Blackbirds have built a nest nearby and are keeping away all other birds. they have two eggs of their own. | ||
Anouncing the arrival of the second Robin egg. | ||
Egg! First egg of a second clutch is laid at around 08:30 for the Robins. | ||
Blue Tits no visits for the fourth day. They are still around, have they found a better site? | ||
Dull and wet, Robins around the nest. | ||
Robins renovating their nest at first light. | ||
Mild and sunny day, Robins still active in the empty nest. | ||
A warmer day and imagination, or is there more material in the Blue Tit box? | ||
Blue Tits still visiting | ||
Lots of Blue Tit activity, around 40 visits for the day | ||
Both Robins still around and visiting the empty nest. Will they start again? | ||
Blue Tits visit at least 8 times between 07:00 and 15:00 | ||
Blue Tits still visiting and shuffling nest material. We will concentrate on them for next few days | ||
A sad day for the Robins. Very cold, very windy and sleet overnight and into the morning. First pictures show only one chick active, by 11:00 no activity at all. Mother appears to remove the chicks in turn leaving only the one unhatched egg by 11:30. It looks like this brood has not made it, the one remaining egg is incubated on and off the rest of the day. Next morning that egg too has gone. | ||
Cold, wind and sleet for three robin chicks | ||
Mother's Day - and Robins are hatching - three so far | ||
Are the Blue Tits ready to nest or just staking a claim to the box? | ||
14 days sitting for the Robin, but still four eggs | ||
Blue Tits shuffling material | ||
13th day and Robin still restless, but no hatching yet | ||
Blue Tits slow buildup | ||
12th day and Robin is restless on the eggs - near hatching? | ||
Blue tits still gathering material | ||
Cold start on the 11th incubation day for the Robins | ||
More blue tit visiting | ||
Another warm day for the Robins | ||
Blue Tits! Nest materials in their box | ||
Warmest day yet for the Robins | ||
Another day on the nest for the Robin | ||
First week sitting complete | ||
On the sixth day | ||
Now we are 5 (days) | ||
4x4 - four eggs, fourth day | ||
Another day on the nest | ||
Second full day incubating | ||
Just four eggs, but on the nest all day apart from short breaks | ||
Four eggs! Incubated most of the morning but left around 13:00, more to come? | ||
Third egg! 8 days since the second - how unusual is this interrupted laying pattern? Incubating early on only, is that protecting from the frosty morning? It's clear why she hasn't started full incubation though, the clutch was not complete | ||
Brief visits again. Is this an early clutch which will be abandoned? | ||
There at dawn, but only brief visits. Is she going to incubate? Is the cloudy and damp weather or only two eggs not enough stimulus to incubate? | ||
Visits, but not for long | ||
Not even a visit captured | ||
Looked like incubation at first, but left all afternoon | ||
Only visits again, less than an hour each. Small clutch - book says 4-6 normally. | ||
Still two - visited but only for an hour or so not started full incubation | ||
Second egg! | ||
First egg! Laid around dawn at 07:00 | ||
Still active building, mostly early in the day | ||
Looking tidy | ||
More nest building - very early in the year, the books suggest mid-March | ||
Camera installed, nest already underway | ||