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Post by suep on Feb 14, 2020 22:57:26 GMT
Well, seems I am VERY late to the party this year . So good to see so many of you lovely people having roosters, visits, poo cleaning etc etc. Not so good the fights . Hope the upcoming season is a success for everyone - my thoughts especially with Matt and GBH - you both soooooo deserve a nest . Brilliant news at yours GBH, I am really thinking this is your year! So sorry I haven’t yet gotten around to commenting on individual threads but I am trying to read and catch up with all. Am very jealous of all the visits and multiple roosting going on for some of you. My visits are very limited. Having said that, I haven’t had my boxes on a lot yet - I can only put one on at a time and I have been telling myself that perhaps the birds are visiting one box whilst I have the other on well I can dream. I have had the odd visit to both boxes in the last week but nothing I would term as ‘interest’. I was however, interested to hear about the poo cleaning going on as I have a very messy male rooster in one box and though I have already cleaned it out once this year I am loathed to disturb the box too much when perhaps the birds are house hunting!? Should I leave alone or go for it once again? Paul, I am so excited about little blue ring, that would be a real coup (is that how you spell it?)for the forum. Amazing stuff going on all round. Matt your set ups look fantastic and photos so clear. In fact brilliant seeing everyone’s pictures and videos - just so much to catch up with. So here is my round robin hello to Paul, Ann, Diane, Sammi, Elle, Amanda, Taz, Pete, Karen, Natalie, Matt, Ben, and GBH .Apologies if I have missed anyone that has contributed in 2020. Also welcome to our new members . Good luck everyone. Sue
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Post by petesbox on Feb 14, 2020 23:13:42 GMT
Hi Sue, good to see your back and good to hear your getting some activity and a rooster, hope the season goes well for you.
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Post by WildlifePaul on Feb 14, 2020 23:15:49 GMT
Lovely to have you back with us Sue! I pray you get a nest in one of your camera boxes this year I would give it another clean Sue, If your not getting regular visits no harm is done. If I have a messy male I normally give the box its last clean first week of March just before the season starts then I leave alone, So maybe just wait until the first week of march and give it a quick clean that way won't be alot of mess if a female is interested, Building normally starts for most of us around middle of March on a mild winter so really isn't long now!
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Post by sammi on Feb 15, 2020 11:17:55 GMT
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Post by WildlifePaul on Feb 15, 2020 12:50:01 GMT
Welcome back Sue onto the 2020 rollercoaster ride. Let's hope we have more ups than downs this year. On the subject of poo...maybe it's because I'm lazy but I'm thinking maybe they leave it for a reason so although I cleared my roosters box a couple time last year I think this year I'll leave it alone . At the moment mine isn't too bad though as I've had a female rooster for most of the time and only recently has the poo pile become a problem. Of course as the weather improves I may relent and risk a ladder I left it back in 2015 Sammi, At the time I only had the 1 rooster over winter but a few boxes (4) not the levels of boxes I have now haha! after watching the female trying to clean the box she literally just give up trying and flew down to my other box and started nest building in that one, Safe to say my other box just remained full of poo all season! so I do it more for giving the female an helping hand these days, the less work she needs to do in a box the better for her really isn't it. I've also seen females clean a full box poo out within a day, It just depends on the bird I am guessing, But if the box got female interest I'd clean it out just before the season starts so isn't much mess by mid march when things really heat up in terms of material coming in etc.
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Post by sammi on Feb 15, 2020 15:34:44 GMT
I know exactly what you mean Paul. I may see how things go and get my marigolds out🤣
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Post by YorksherLass on Feb 15, 2020 16:30:29 GMT
Sue, many thanks for your round robin news to all of us & I hope things go really well for all the members here this season. So far, no interest in my one box but fingers crossed! However, a lot of damage to my tall fat bushes on the back fence last Thursday overnight. The whole lot have blown forward (ripped off the wires securing them to the fence) and now laying on the lawn. I can no longer face having to try and pull them back up to secure again. so when better weather with no wind, I'll chop the lot down & paint the bare fence. Luckily, no sparrows nesting in there as they did last year!
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Post by Amanda on Feb 15, 2020 18:50:27 GMT
Hi Sue, Good luck with the up and coming season, I hope your visits become frequent very soon and also you get lots of nests
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Post by suep on Feb 15, 2020 18:52:55 GMT
Hi, Pete, Paul, Sammi and Diane, thanks for your replies. Think I will do the marigold thing as Paul suggests because my box is VERY messy and one visitor popped in took one look at the floor and flew out so quickly it was comical . I guess some females will clean but think i’d rather up my odds a bit than hope the right one enters my box. If I get any visitors to the boxes they seem to be earlier in the day so think I will clean late one afternoon before my roosters is due back. Does anyone else only seem to get morning visits or is it just me? So sorry to hear about the damage done to your garden by this awful weather Diane - when is it going to end??? More fences to hang boxes on maybe? (sorry, trying to see the bright side). Hoping for more action once this weather settles a bit. Can’t wait for things to get going now. Sue
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Post by WildlifePaul on Feb 15, 2020 19:52:40 GMT
Yes its same every year for me Sue, Morning visits. Even when nest building takes place, Always morning when it first starts.
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Post by petesbox on Feb 16, 2020 11:49:08 GMT
I think my female cleaner has gone on strike she has'nt been in the box these last couple of mornings.
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Post by WildlifePaul on Feb 16, 2020 12:26:06 GMT
I think my female cleaner has gone on strike she has'nt been in the box these last couple of mornings. She quit the job, He wasn't paying her enough Pete!
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Post by suep on Feb 19, 2020 9:01:49 GMT
Took me a while to remember how to post a photo What am I like?! Anyway, after reading comments etc and Paul saying he cleaned box first week of March and then others saying things were beginning earlier this year, I decided to take the bull by the horns and clean(well try) my box earlier. Hmm what a mess it was, and not received well by my rooster. That evening instead of coming in and settling straight down, he came in, looked around and flew out again. He repeated this several times and lots of pecking could be heard on the holes outside. Again he came in but was very agitated - whether it was the box being different or could smell me on the box (can they smell?) I don’t know, but he definitely wasn’t happy. It took him 45 minutes to feel relaxed enough to settle. Anyway the thing that has made me laugh and don’t know why or how it’s happened is that the picture above is of another bird (definitely not mine cause makings on head different) coming in a 7.30 yesterday and bit later today and taking out some poo !!! Yes that is poo in her beak (i’m Obviously assuming ‘her’). Whether he has found a mate to clean up as he didn’t like outside interference I don’t know. However I am now happy to sit back and let her do it. Gave me a laugh. Can’t get in to clean the box properly without taking down anyway so am very pleased with her help Sue
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Post by WildlifePaul on Feb 19, 2020 12:21:55 GMT
This is a great sign Sue, If a female is cleaning out the poo that means she is interested in the box. Seems to be a theme on here this year of the females doing this with the male roosters boxes, Turns out having a male rooster isn't bad after all! P.s Sue, Do you have an led light in that box? what a little tech queen you've become very proud!
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Post by karenupnorth on Feb 19, 2020 14:32:51 GMT
I also got up the ladder this morning and got cleaning the rooster box out, what a mucky going on will see tonight hat he thinks to it!
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Post by suep on Feb 19, 2020 15:24:29 GMT
P.s Sue, Do you have an led light in that box? what a little tech queen you've become very proud! Sure do Paul - i’m proud of me too. . Proves what can be done when you want it enough
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Post by Ann70 on Feb 19, 2020 15:46:45 GMT
Sue lovely to see you have activity in your camera box, you must be so pleased, look forward to following your posts. Ann
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Post by WildlifePaul on Feb 19, 2020 18:49:02 GMT
P.s Sue, Do you have an led light in that box? what a little tech queen you've become very proud! Sure do Paul - i’m proud of me too. . Proves what can be done when you want it enough I'm very proud of you Sue, I knew you was a little mastermind deep down!
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Post by sammi on Feb 20, 2020 16:26:11 GMT
Wow Sue lovely pic of your little bird. So pleased you have it all sorted for this season. All those anxious times when you had no idea what was going on in your nest. Everything crossed here for you. It took me ages to remember how to post pics again too🤣 Seems that behaviour at yours is similar to what's going on here too.🤞
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Post by elle on Feb 21, 2020 20:59:38 GMT
Sue it’s that time again, and it looks like you’ve been doing some tech homework, putting your own lighting in an all yahoo_clap Looks like it’ll just be me left behind now that your upping your game I sincerely hope you get a nest in your camera box, we all know how long you’ve waited, fingers crossed for you Sue Elle xx
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Post by suep on Feb 22, 2020 11:23:30 GMT
Hi Elle, great to see you on the threads. Any news for you yet? Set my TWO camera boxes up at the end of last season , but only one has lighting in (was easy to do or I couldn’t have done it lol). Luckily, that is the box getting all the attention at the moment. I can only view one box at a time (see not that good at tech things ), and as far as I am aware there has been very little interest in my second box but will wait and see. Thought my rooster was upset with my cleaning his messy box as he has been agitated on arriving each evening since, BUT I am now thinking it is because he can sense other birds have been in the box. Getting visits from a pair and the male is not him (my rooster is quite distinctive with white patches on the back of his head), so I am now thinking he is a bit nervous they might come back. I really hope I don’t witness one of these awful fights like others have seen. Anyway, who knows if any of this will lead to a nest - can only . Good luck for you too Elle. Sue
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Post by elle on Feb 24, 2020 15:15:02 GMT
Oh Sue, I have everything crossed for you Iv had absolutely zilch looking at any of my 3 boxes, got 2 roosters though (very messy males) but I do get hubby to bring the boxes down for a 2nd clean, around first week in March, so sometime next week! This time last year I had nesting material being brought in, but no interest as yet I’m afraid, but I am always late to the party Sue Elle xx
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Post by suep on Mar 6, 2020 12:37:06 GMT
I can can hardly believe what I am seeing and am so excited. First signs of nesting materials .Dare I hope, or breath, could this be my year with camera ? I am so going to keep everything crossed. Sue
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Post by petesbox on Mar 6, 2020 12:42:10 GMT
Thats great Sue.
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Post by suep on Mar 6, 2020 12:46:41 GMT
Thanks Pete
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