Monday 25 May 2015

.. and there they were .. Gone !!

As predicted, 'Give me space Grace', now has all the space she could ever want, as she too made off into the big wide world to track down and join her brothers, at 07:32 this morning .. Let's hope they all stay safe ..



So, that's it for another season ... At least we managed a 30% fledging this year, which is not too bad compared to some previous years.

Off to pack up the PC for another year, I hope you've enjoyed the comings and goings of the Great Tit family, see you all again next year (if we're lucky!) ..

Have a great summer ...

Saturday 23 May 2015

Two down .. One to go ...

What a day !! Woke to find that all three were still at home !! However, Glo & Gus seemed to be more attentive than usual, and were lurking close by and calling to their offspring incessantly. There was plenty of presenting at the hole, but none of them were brave enough to take the leap of faith! The morning came and went, as did the afternoon, evening arrived but still none of the three had ventured forth. It was now gone 7.30pm, and I thought and a fledging seemed unlikely. Having kept an eye on the nestbox all day, in the hope of catching the chicks fledge, no sooner had I sat down for my tea, and I looked around at the nestcam, to see just one left !!! Flippin typical !!

Here is the moment that 'Get me out Graham' finally took the plunge out into the big wide world at 7:42pm :



'Go for it Gary' had a few aborted attempts after his brother had left, but finally summoned up the courage at 7:51pm, leaving 'Give me space Grace' all alone :



Well Grace is showing no sign of following her brothers out this evening, so she will now have the space she craves, with another night in nest cup ... all alone !! She looks a little forlorn here, but Glo & Gus are still making regular visits to keep her fed .. I'm sure she will take the plunge and join up with her brothers tomorrow ..



I was so annoyed at having missed the fledging ... but I did manage to track Graham (or Gary!) in a nearby tree :



Good luck little fella ...

Friday 22 May 2015

Fledging Day getting close ...

I had half an idea that they would be gone this morning, ... But no, all three made it through the night and are safely huddled together awaiting their next meal !

There are lots of signs now that fledging day is close, Glo & Gus are trying to feed the chicks from the hole, but only 'Get me out Graham', seems to vaguely interested. After the adults have been in, he is the most curious at seeing what lies outside ... Also the preening and wing flapping continues, and the adults calling from outside is becoming more frequent ..



Here we can see the trio waiting for Glo to bring in their supper :



However, having fed them, had a quick look around and tucked them in, she left !! Leaving them to spend the night all alone, another sure sign that leaving day is imminent ...

So, let's see what tomorrow brings ...

Thursday 21 May 2015

Five become Three ...

Well, following yesterday's lack of action, today brought the sad demise of two further chicks ... There were four this morning, but by this evening only three remained. I thought it looked as if all remaining five had a good chance of making it ... Just shows what I know !! 

So, we are left with just the three, still an over 30% success rate if they all fledge, which isn't too bad.

Here we see the remaining siblings, two big brothers and a little sister all lined up nicely at dinner time :


Here we can see Gus trying to entice the youngsters to feed from the hole, a sure sign that fledging day is close ... Having failed, Gus goes in to give them their supper. However, shortly afterwards, I could here a lot of calling from outside the nestbox, and there were both Gus & Glo calling out to their brood. 

It certainly caused a reaction inside, and here we see 'Get me out Graham', having a couple of quick peeks at the big outside world, closely watched by 'Go for it Gary', they obviously have plans to go clubbing at the weekend! whilst 'Give me space Grace' looks like she is staying till the Bank Holiday and is wishing they would just go and leave her in peace !!


Plenty of preening and wing flapping, Graham and Gary look nearly as big as their parents, so not long now till they venture out ...


Wednesday 20 May 2015

Getting there ....

No further dramas to report ... All five remaining chicks are still thriving, even Titch ! Both parents are still doing a great job, keeping their brood fed. 

All the chicks now look like proper little birds, all feathered up, little black caps, wings at the ready ! Lots of preening and wing flapping from the two bigger siblings ...


Here we can see Glo doing a bit of housekeeping, and the chicks all lining up nicely as she leaves ..

Monday 18 May 2015

... and then there were 5 ..

Well, the survival of the fittest is coming to bear in the nestbox. Early morning there were still six apparently very active chicks, but by mid morning another had succumbed, unable to cope with endless scramble for food.

Of the remaining five, two look more advanced than the others, and look as if they could be ready to leave any time soon, two look as if they still need a little more feeding up, and Titch, although he appears to be holding his own. really needs to start getting to the food first, if he too isn't to perish .. Fingers crossed he makes it ...

Judging by the way things are going, I expect at least two of them may be ready to fledge by the weekend ...


Sunday 17 May 2015

Developing fast ....

Well ... it's been an interesting couple of days for this year's residents ... From the last post, we seem to have 'lost' a couple of chicks !! On the morning of the 14th May, I definitely counted 8 ... By the 16th May, there were only 6 !! I did notice that one of the chicks was a little smaller than the others and struggling to get to the food, but all the others seemed to be of equal size. I have scanned through all the video clips and I can't see where they went 'missing' ! I can only assume that Mum took them out overnight when the camera isn't on. Anyway, the remaining 6 all seem to be flourishing.

Here you can see how quickly they have developed since the last post. They are now little balls of fluff, eyes open, with their feathers filling out and already practising some wing stretching and flapping:


It is getting a little crowded in there now, and Glo comes in keep them all in check ! They all line up nicely when she's gone !!





Glo isn't going to get a good night's sleep with the fidgeting youngsters, and it looks like she's already given up and decided to sleep to the side of the nest ...