benn
Senior Member
Posts: 142
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Post by benn on Dec 2, 2022 10:25:23 GMT
Hi All Thought I would check in. Much change in our back garden this Autumn. Our 27 year old wooden fence adjoining the back field with the horses was leaning in badly with the horses compacting the ground behind the fence. Our shed was also leaning and the roof was rotting. 5 weeks later, after days of labouring, digging out several cubic metres of clay in awful weather, we have built a sturdier concrete 2ft 6" wall from posts and gravel boards that support 4ft trellis panels. We have also erected a new Keter composite shed. Unfortunately the Ivy had to go and believe me I wrestled with the jungle like stuff and the huge roots for days, attacking it with a petrol chainsaw!! Although Ivy is great for the birds I don't think we will reinstate it again, 25 years of dealing with it is enough for one lifetime and i am feeling my age these days! The result is that 2 camera boxes and a Robin Kettle have no place to go now. However, for some reason the cables to these had failed anyhow. So that leaves us with our two house wall boxes which were occupied by Blue and Great Tits last season and our Starling box all with cameras. I have moved the large open fronted box to a side fence behind the Raspberry canes but due to the failed cables there will be no video feed if a Blackbird or Robin take residence. We also have the Swift boxes with cameras out front which did have some interest shown this last two summers by immature non breeding birds. We currently have two Blue Tits separately roosting in the two wall boxes (I think they be the same pair that nested last summer). Both these boxes are now side view boxes. Good luck to everyone for 2023! Some pictures of the work below
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Post by Ann70 on Dec 2, 2022 14:28:40 GMT
Hi benn All the hard work looks great, you have such an amazing setting to look out onto Good luck with your two nest boxes I’m sure you will have nests again this season Look forward to your updates
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benn
Senior Member
Posts: 142
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Post by benn on Dec 3, 2022 10:22:03 GMT
Thanks Springtime, a lot of hard work and expense. I now understand why landscape gardeners charge so much!!! I managed to capture our two roosters on our recorder last night. Going to switch the system off again until March so as not to waste costly Electric. The birds arrive around 4:30pm and leave around 7:30am. (The clock is still on Summer time)
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Post by karenupnorth on Dec 3, 2022 20:55:49 GMT
Looks great Benn. Good luck for next Spring!
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benn
Senior Member
Posts: 142
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Post by benn on Mar 11, 2023 15:28:09 GMT
Hi All 12 days back from nearly 2 months in Goa and still adjusting to the 35C difference in temperature! I switched on the cameras and the DVR during Thursday nights extreme blizzard and was glad to see the same pair of Blue Tits roosting in the boxes as per my last picture. By the amount of droppings it looks as if they have both used these two boxes over winter. The pair of Great Tits are regular visitors to our feeders so I am hoping they will adopt the same box as last year but this would mean them evicting the roosting male Blue Tit again, hopefully without the same fighting! I reckon nesting will be much later here given the cold March. Below is a picture of our back garden yesterday afternoon after the sun had melted quite a bit of the 10 inches of snow we got. More snow forecast for this afternoon until midnight when hopefully the thaw should kick in. Looking forward to warmer Spring days and here is hoping everyone gets a occupied box this season
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Post by suep on Mar 11, 2023 17:03:19 GMT
Wow, that hard work has certainly paid off Benn, looks fantastic. Hope you soon adjust to this cold miserable weather - though judging by your photo even when you have snow in your garden you still have sun and beautiful blue skies. All I seem to get is grey grey grey 🥴 Sue
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Post by Ann70 on Mar 11, 2023 17:13:30 GMT
Welcome back Hope you have brought some sunshine back for us. I agree with Sue, beautiful blue sky and sunshine even with the snow Good luck with your boxes
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Post by johnb2023 on Mar 12, 2023 15:07:53 GMT
Love the garden Benn and was looking much the same here yesterday. I'm not too far from you in Derbyshire. Good luck with the season ahead.
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benn
Senior Member
Posts: 142
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Post by benn on Mar 19, 2023 11:29:57 GMT
I interrogated the DVR this morning. The Blue tits seem to have chosen their usual box as they are increasing their daytime visits and the female has begun to clean the floor of the droppings she has built up over Winter during her roosts.
The other box is being used by the male Blue Tit for roosting but I was pleased to find a clip from yesterday morning which looks promising!
Blue Tit Inspection
Great Tit Inspection
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Post by WildlifePaul on Apr 8, 2023 9:28:07 GMT
Anything going on in your boxes Benn?
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benn
Senior Member
Posts: 142
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Post by benn on Apr 10, 2023 17:24:06 GMT
Hi Paul
Pretty confident that our Blue tits will nest as she has removed all the droppings and cleans out most days with a couple of visits. Our Great Tits have not re visited the other box for a number of days now. However, the nights have been freezing here over the lovely Easter weekend and now we have torrential rain, hail and gale force winds for the rest of the week. So I reckon it will be late April up here before things get going.
We found a half built Robins nest in our log store 2 weeks ago but the Robin was close by as I lifted the cover to collect some logs. So I think they have moved on which is a shame as no further building has taken place.
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Post by suep on Apr 10, 2023 17:54:13 GMT
Keeping everything crossed for you Benn Sue
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Post by sammi on Apr 10, 2023 19:33:47 GMT
Fingers crossed Benn I hope they nest soon. You have given me hope that our bluetits are just waiting for better weather
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benn
Senior Member
Posts: 142
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Post by benn on Apr 24, 2023 20:23:12 GMT
Well thought I would check out everyones progress. Nice to see some eggs and fully built nests. As for us we are stuck at the same place as per two weeks ago. Blue Tit. Female is still roosting in our usual Blue tit box on the wall at the side of the house. However, she stopped taking out her own droppings and there was zero day visits until 3 days ago when she has cleaned up again. But we are seeing only a couple of brief daytime visits and no sign of moss. Great Tit. Still the occasional visit to the entrance hole by the male of the sideview box at the same site as last years successful nesting. But no female entering. The male enters our Starling box once a day but again no female is enticed in. I dunno if this is down to low day time temperatures and cold North Easterly winds we have experienced up here even during the good weather and sunny spells over Easter and last week. Last year the first moss was on April 2 for the Great Tit and March 21 for our Blue Tit, but then we had that balmy March weather with some days reaching 22C. Checking our previous records on the BTO nesting neighbours site the years from 2015 to 2020m nest building began mostly in the last week in April. So still a chance I suppose given the female is still roosting in our box and not elsewhere.
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Post by suep on Apr 24, 2023 22:10:35 GMT
Seems a lot of boxes are getting visits Benn, but not so much actual building. I think the weather has been a big big factor. I cannot complain as I am one of the lucky ones this year. I wish everyone had a nest and I hope a few more still will. The fact that birds are still looking makes me think there is still time - I really hope so Sue
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Post by pete11 on Apr 26, 2023 22:28:16 GMT
Keep fingers crossed Benn... The weather this spring has been really wet and cold and windy...April has almost been like traditional Feb/March. Can't help but think it must have delayed all sorts of species in the food chain. 🤷
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benn
Senior Member
Posts: 142
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Post by benn on May 2, 2023 8:19:10 GMT
Well I have decided to accept the inevitable "blank" this year. Not a trace of moss and zero daytime visits to any box this last 3 days. It is curious though that we have two Blue Tits still roosting in two of our boxes on our house wall that are sited about 8 metres apart. I was positive this was a pair. However, if they were a pair then the female should surely be roosting in her nest somewhere else by now? This will be our first blank since a female was predated in our log box 4/5 years ago and first no nest at all since 2015. Good that I can drop in here from time to time to get my fix.
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Post by Ann70 on May 2, 2023 8:40:01 GMT
I totally know how you feel Benn it’s disappointing a a long time until next season The forum keeps me going so glad to have it Better season for our bird family next time 😊
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Post by WildlifePaul on May 2, 2023 11:03:15 GMT
Thats a shame Benn, Like you said very weird that you still have a female rooster! You had any luck getting swifts into your box benn?
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benn
Senior Member
Posts: 142
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Post by benn on May 2, 2023 18:33:29 GMT
Swifts not arrived yet in these parts Paul. I had interest last year from 3 birds that appeared on bright summer days in June and July. These were either first or second year olds that do not nest. But none entered boxes or roosts so I doubt we will get these third year nesting birds when they return.
Gonna keep playing the calls once I see Swifts in the area. Last year I unblocked the entrances early May when I read about Swifts being sighted but it was far too early to do so and simply allowed Sparrows to take over two of the boxes. I will wait nearer the end of May before unblocking the entrances and playing the Swift calls.
Meanwhile these roosting Blue Tits have me Flummoxed!!
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Post by sammi on May 3, 2023 8:36:04 GMT
Sorry you're in the no nesters club too Benn. A strange year all round Everything crossed for all NNC members for next year
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benn
Senior Member
Posts: 142
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Post by benn on Jun 22, 2023 13:26:29 GMT
Not a complete blank this year! We have a pair of Wood Pigeons who, with a bit of help, have built a nest in our climbing Cotoneaster Lacteus berry shrub just under our front lounge window. We have a great view. They tried to nest there last year but gave up as their twigs kept falling down through the shrub and landing in front of our basement patio doors. The same thing was happening three weeks ago, so before we went on holiday to Egypt, I knocked up an 8 inch square lattice platform of intertwined garden cane fastened with cable ties that I placed on the branches where they were trying to build. We returned last Saturday to find them sitting on two eggs having built their nest on the platform. We think we also have a pair of Goldfinches nesting 2 metres across from the pigeons nest but unfortunately it is impossible to spot through the thick foliage. Fingers crossed the street Magpies do not find the nests!
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Post by starling78 on Jun 22, 2023 15:45:23 GMT
What an excellent view Benn! I'm very envious, please post back regarding their progress I would love to see it
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Post by suep on Jun 23, 2023 12:00:25 GMT
Well done for giving a helping hand with the nest Benn, shows we all appreciate a little help at times. Sue
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benn
Senior Member
Posts: 142
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Post by benn on Jun 25, 2023 11:25:39 GMT
Alas! The pigeon left the nest yesterday for over an hour and a Magpie moved in and predated the eggs! I hate Magpies!
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