Post by pete11 on Mar 13, 2023 22:39:12 GMT
Discovered another little visit from yesterday in the side-view box.
Now I think I can tell the male and the female apart, thanks to this one being a definite case of male coming into the box first, hunkering down awaiting the female, then doing a very quick escape as she comes in.
I've looked at the markings on the backs of their heads and I think this female is the same one I've seen in the main tree box - she's the one obsessed with pecking the entrance holes!
It does seem as if everything's delayed a bit this year compared to last. This time last year it all went quiet and then material appeared about a week later. This year, they still seem to be doing the visits and I've not noticed much clearly identifiable wriggling going on...although my main tree box camera was out of action for most of February, and I wasn't recording it continuously before that, either (unlike last year).
Here's the little swapsie visit from yesterday afternoon - some faffing about outside before the male comes in around 25s into the clip:
Now I think I can tell the male and the female apart, thanks to this one being a definite case of male coming into the box first, hunkering down awaiting the female, then doing a very quick escape as she comes in.
I've looked at the markings on the backs of their heads and I think this female is the same one I've seen in the main tree box - she's the one obsessed with pecking the entrance holes!
It does seem as if everything's delayed a bit this year compared to last. This time last year it all went quiet and then material appeared about a week later. This year, they still seem to be doing the visits and I've not noticed much clearly identifiable wriggling going on...although my main tree box camera was out of action for most of February, and I wasn't recording it continuously before that, either (unlike last year).
Here's the little swapsie visit from yesterday afternoon - some faffing about outside before the male comes in around 25s into the clip: