Birdies, Birdies everywhere, but hopefully no cats!
It is all a little frantic at the moment. Birds and their young are appearing in the garden so I am keeping an eye on my cats. I have Blue tits in a nest box on my garage. They are nervous birds at the best of times and raising young is very stressful so they are on high alert!
Note my hand made perch near the box. When the birds were building their nest they got themselves totally confused deciding on the best way to approach the entrance. They were a very indecisive pair, making numerous fluttering attempts before they went in. Stealth and subterfuge were not their strong points.They may as well have waved a large sign saying HEY CATS – BIRDS NESTING HERE. I thought the perch might help them out. Eventually they produced a satisfactory nest. Now they are feeding their chicks. Do click on the pictures for a closer look.
A Blue tit arrives with a caterpillar in its mouth. I think it’s the female but I’m not absolutely certain.
She takes a look from the guttering….all looks well…or does it!
Blue tit on guttering
Perhaps she can get a better view from the top of the nest box….surely it’s ok now!
Blue tit on nest box
Nope….she knows those cats are sneaky so she wants to make sure! She tries the view from the perch. That caterpillar must be drying out.
Blue tit on perch
By now loud tweeting is coming from the babies in the box. They cannot wait a moment longer. She decides the coast is clear, and in she goes.
Blue tit finally goes into the nest box
Further down the garden some Starlings and their young have discovered the fat feeder. These are very noisy, sociable birds. Luckily I have only had 12 at the most. Thank heavens, for they are extremely vocal and not in a soft twittering way….they sound as if they are permanently involved in a raucous argument. Here is an adult accompanied by three young who sit helpless waiting for food. See the poor parent on the left and the three great, hulking babies….feed me….feed me….feed me…more…more…more!
8 comments
Great pictures!
Sheila: I wish I could have got closer!
You’ve got some wonderful shots here, and those starling babies are definitely ‘hulking’!! It’s funny how so many of the baby birds end up looking bigger than the adults as they get ready to leave the nest. Lots of ‘baby fat’, perhaps?!! I like the series of photos of the blue tit, too. I hope they continue to survive and you can watch the babies leave the nest. Last year I captured several different birds feeding babies. I haven’t been looking for them much lately as I’ve been gardening and focusing less on birds. Your post reminds me how much I really enjoy watching them.
Jan: Thanks. I’m hoping to see them leave the nest but I’m sure I’ll miss it!
That reminds me I should take a peak inside my nesting boxes to see what’s going on. I’ve seen some activity here & there with bits of stuff being poked in the holes.
Your little Mama Blue Tit is definitely anxious, hope the babies got that caterpillar while he was warm & juicy, lol.
Racquel: Hundreds of caterpillars must have gone into that nest box – which is good news if they belong to some garden pest
Birds are great to watch. We have a pair of sparrows nesting in our bedroom roof and there is much coming and going with them feeding their young. You got some good shots.
Judith:I am amazed at how hard the parents work!
A delightful post about your feathered tenants. Just wait until the starlings start to sing, it is beautiful. They sing of spring and summer…
Titania: I think the parents will start singing once their young have left home!
Great photos – I know how much patience it takes to get these shots as I keep failing to get similar ones.
Helen: I would love an outdoor fixed camera pointing at the interesting areas. It would make things much easier!
Great photos – and commentary.
HM: Thanks. The birds fun to watch and it is easy to construct a soap opera from their behaviour
Well done you for providing a perch! Great thinking… I’ve an Arch near one of mine and a small pine tree at a perfect height opposite the other. They really are well used by the birds
Oh… so envious of that caterpillar! We now have a Blue tit feeding young too but see is searching high and low for bugs and every now and again resorts to taking fat cake in to her young
All the best with your brood – I’ll guess they are growing well if you can hear them! Great series of pics
Shirl: No shortage of caterpillars here probably because we back onto woodland. Even so they still occasionally resort to the fat feeder – perhaps because they are tired and it’s nearby!
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