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Post by pete11 on Mar 15, 2022 22:45:08 GMT
Still pretty quiet on the BT front, with just one double visit to my new box mid morning Meanwhile, tucked away in the ivy, the female robin's still sitting on the nest most of the day, being fed by the male. The trail cam doesn't start filming until the motion detection has registered, so it's mostly missing the split second or two when he lands to deliver food each time. I suspect a lot of the 140-odd short video clips created today have been triggered by his visits. She seems to be doing a lot more settling and fussing and looking down into the nest cup today. Here's a selection of moments spanning from late last night to a few hours ago, very roughly cut together:
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Post by karenupnorth on Mar 16, 2022 7:44:23 GMT
Love how she gets snuggled down into the cup
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Post by pete11 on Mar 16, 2022 14:40:26 GMT
So anyone know what it means if a male BT is doing shuffles in a box? I always thought it was the female who did them when she's decided that here's where she'll build a nest.
I've had what I'm sure is my male BT spend about 3 mins in my new box looking as if he's waiting for the female to arrive, and in the meantime he does three definite shuffles/wriggles while he's there. She never turns up, so he leaves eventually.
He did some shuffles a few days ago, too. I hope this doesn't mean he's just eyeing up the box as a potential roost and nothing more.
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Post by sammi on Mar 16, 2022 22:11:23 GMT
Hi Pete I've seen our male sparrow do shuffles and I believe I've a male bluetit that did shuffles too. I can't remember whether the bluetit went on to nest in the box that year but the sparrows built a nest but didn't go any further sadly. My problem is I can't easily tell the male and female apart before nest building starts 🤣
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Post by WildlifePaul on Mar 16, 2022 22:35:08 GMT
Our male blue tits been doing wriggles all day Pete, the males do it sometimes, I thought it was the female until he called her in after wriggling. This as happened a few times over the years in my boxes, the male bird doing wriggles.
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Post by pete11 on Mar 17, 2022 19:09:01 GMT
BT pair still seem intent on the tree box - despite all the GT hassle they've had over the past weeks! They've gone and done another big GT-poo removal session in several intense sessions across most of this morning. Male (I think it's the male anyway!) has done a fair few shuffles in this box today, too. The same pair checked out the side-view box again, too, with a couple of (male?) shuffles in there. Robin footage from today still to be collected and reviewed!
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Post by pete11 on Mar 17, 2022 23:13:22 GMT
Robin footage reveals the nest has been discovered by a grey squirrel Not sure how it's managed to find it as it's so hidden away. There are two cam clips, one early afternoon and another late afternoon. The early one shows the squirrel climbing through the ivy round the side of the box, but not quite getting round to the entrance before running off. The later one unfortunately shows it sticking its whole head and front paws into the nest. I've slowed it down and played it back several times and it's such a blur it's not clear if it's taken any eggs - it all happens very quickly. But I'm guessing it'll probably have another go tomorrow. Female robin on and off the nest a lot as a result. She's back there tonight for sure. Hoping my camera hasn't played a part in this - but to be honest it's on a pole to one side some way back from the ivy, and I haven't been standing there at all except in the dark around 9.30pm each night taking the camera indoors briefly to change cards and batteries and then coming back out and reattaching it. All takes about 5mins. Got a nasty feeling this nest isn't going to succeed
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Post by pete11 on Mar 18, 2022 22:13:35 GMT
Well, for the moment the robins are still persevering - she's still on the nest, and male(s) is/are still feeding her. She looks a lot more wary of the slightest rustle now though. Just one cam clip showed a squirrel approaching from above (!), but it was smartly seen off by one of the robins (too blurry and quick to see - slowing down the video showed it was kind of bombarded by one of the birds). All the other 200-odd clips from today show fairly peaceful nest sitting apart from that. Fingers crossed, but I still can't help but feel it's only a matter of time before that squirrel succeeds.
Meanwhile on the BT side of things: that pair are still doing spring cleaning in the tree box - as if they've forgotten there's still a GT rooster to contend with. The GT showed up at bedtime as usual, but no sign of it on camera at any point during the day. Oh well, we shall just have to see what happens!
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Post by pete11 on Mar 19, 2022 22:07:34 GMT
Another day, another manic BT spring cleaning session in the tree box. Pretty sure it's been the female doing most of the work once they got going.
She's been hammering away at the last stubborn layer of ancient GT poo that's glued to the floor of the box.
And, more excitingly, she's been doing a fair few proper shuffles/wriggles while she's at it. Here's one example (wriggle at end) - sound is a bit crackly due to the wind direction.
Meanwhile, female robin is still dutifully on the nest, being fed by the male (or males?) No squirrel invasions today, thankfully, so the eggs have survived another day - assuming there are eggs left! I don't suppose she'd still carry on sitting if the eggs were missing?
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Post by karenupnorth on Mar 20, 2022 7:15:06 GMT
Maybe the BTs perseverance will pay off, once the GT has found its nesting site and gets onto moving out. I think she deserves it now after such a huge spring clean.
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Post by pete11 on Mar 20, 2022 9:27:04 GMT
I think it might be time for a banana First bits of material this morning (towards the end of the video clip)! Although....it might yet all end badly - they still have the GT rooster to deal with!
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Post by karenupnorth on Mar 20, 2022 9:55:12 GMT
Roosting time is going to be interesting
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Post by pete11 on Mar 20, 2022 19:36:19 GMT
Well I settled in early this evening to watch how things went at roosting time, worried about a scrap. But it was the same sequence of events as any other time recently: the BTs were proudly flitting about the box thinking they owned it, while under the radar the GT arrived and lurked about low down in a nearby shrub, waiting for it's moment. Then while just one BT was left nearby, the GT suddenly made a quick beeline straight into the box, with the BT caught out completely. Cue the now familiar sight of the BT hopping about frustratedly outside the box wondering how come this GT had managed to pull it off once again. I couldn't see whether it was the male or the female BT - but it didn't take any risks, and eventually flew off. This BT pair are going to have to seriously up their defensive game! Here's the female BT earlier on, happily busying herself with moss and shuffles, as if Great tits aren't a thing
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Post by matt on Mar 21, 2022 8:21:22 GMT
Great stuff Pete, sounds as if it might be happening! Curious goings on the with GT tho, I think one way or another this will have to be resolved fairly soon.. hopefully relatively peacefully.
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Post by suep on Mar 21, 2022 10:07:26 GMT
So hope there is a peaceful outcome with your box Pete. Sounds as though the blue tits are winning though. At least they are giving you plenty of action. Sue
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Post by pete11 on Mar 21, 2022 17:54:04 GMT
She took out pretty much all the material this morning apart from some bits she'd stuffed in the corners (draught excluders or GT-poo barriers?) Rest of today she's spent fussing about and eventually bringing some material back in. I'm going to go and watch the area now as it's.... roosting time....! Update: I missed the crucial moment, but the outcome was the same - GT snuck back in box for sleepy time.
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Post by pete11 on Mar 22, 2022 19:32:55 GMT
Busy day 3 of BT nest-building. Lots more fussing and lots more moss. And.... for the very first time since last July....there doesn't seem to be a GT roosting in the box tonight Still time I suppose for it to sneak in there under cover of darkness, so not counting chickens (?) just yet, but looks strangely promising for the BTs right now
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Post by matt on Mar 22, 2022 20:00:00 GMT
Looking good Pete!
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Post by pete11 on Mar 22, 2022 22:07:40 GMT
Cute moment from earlier this morning, when female BT was busy fussing with the moss, and male BT arrived with a tasty little grub to feed her - he tried teasing her with it and she eventually took it impatiently, and he sloped off, and she then looked as if she felt guilty and went looking for him
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Post by pete11 on Mar 22, 2022 23:04:34 GMT
Sorry another video clip - but can someone tell me what might be happening here - the female robin seems very curious about what's in the bottom of the nest all of a sudden today. She keeps making chirruping noises and looking intently down into the nest and seems to be picking up stuff with her beak. Might this be an egg or two that have hatched and she's eating the shell(s)? Or are there ants crawling about down there? Any ideas?
Relevant moments from today roughly cut together - in fact toward the end of this sequence around 2 mins there's a bit where she definitely has a bug in her beak and seems to be feeding it to something under her?:
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Post by pete11 on Mar 23, 2022 22:15:18 GMT
Here we go - robin pair definitely have at least one chick now. Both birds coming and going delivering food, and collecting poo-parcels (eating them mainly!) Just after 3mins into this video, you can see a small beak tip emerge from the nest to feed from parent's beak.
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Post by karenupnorth on Mar 23, 2022 22:59:36 GMT
Awe wonderful Pete, congratulations do you give supplementary food for them like meal worms?
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Post by pete11 on Mar 24, 2022 9:22:57 GMT
Awe wonderful Pete, congratulations  do you give supplementary food for them like meal worms? Mealworms... No, not at the moment. But thanks for reminding me - I need to try doing that if I get time.
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benn
Senior Member
Posts: 138
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Post by benn on Mar 24, 2022 12:12:05 GMT
Love Robins. Wish ours would choose our kettle again. Perhaps we need to cut back the ivy a little more as its buried very deep.
Looks as if your early brood is going to do quite well Pete.
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Post by pete11 on Mar 25, 2022 22:18:46 GMT
Robin had a little visitor earlier today - a wren stopped by.
Here are some of today's Robin chick-feeding highlights, including some slightly graphic poo-parcel-proffering/collecting at 10secs and 1m35secs in. I've counted three chicks, I think, so far. They seem to be getting bigger by the day, so I'm hoping it won't be long before they're visible above the rim of the nest (assuming no squirrel-related incidents). P.S. you can hear quite a lot of BT calls in the background - guessing it must be the male of my tree-box pair getting properly territorial.
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