|
|
Post by marioc on May 14, 2021 15:21:20 GMT
Hi, we have a blue tit family in our nest box. Mom laid 9 eggs, 8 of which hatched .. As the chicks grew, I could only actually account for 7 chicks, and presumed one had died. Both parents really attentive and bringing in food. One week on, and all of a sudden .. DISASTER !! It appears that 5 chicks have died overnight !! Leaving just the two ..  However, just watching the camera this afternoon, and Mom is displaying really strange behaviour ... She is wing flapping erratically inside the box, keeps looking out of the hole but won't leave !! Then she seems to be dismantling the cup, pulling out feathers and soft material from below !! Is she simply traumatised at having lost so many chicks? Is she trying to build a new nest cup for the remaining chicks? Is she being affected by whatever caused her chicks to perish? She seems very distressed  ... Has anyone seen such behaviour before ? |
|
|
|
Post by suep on May 14, 2021 16:06:26 GMT
Hi Marioc and welcome. So sorry you have lost some of the chicks in the way you have. Are you sure this is ‘mum’ and not dad not quite knowing what to do? Sometimes if the female is predated then the dads are sometimes in a panic as to quite what to do - hence why I ask. Is mum still in the box at night do you know? Is it possible there is something worrying her outside the box that is making her uneasy to leave? Don’t have any answers i’m afraid - only questions. There are other members on here with far more experience of nest behaviour than me so hoping someone can throw some light on this for you. Please let us know what happens. Good luck with the remaining two  Sue |
|
|
|
Post by marioc on May 14, 2021 16:21:52 GMT
Hi Sue, no it is definitely Mum .. and both parents are still around .. It's as if she is doing a deep clean of the nestbox, as just now seen her pecking away at the hole !! The remaining two chicks are buried within the nest 'fluff' somewhere ! can't even see them at the moment!! And, whilst all this has been going on, they have not been fed ! so I hope they know what they are doing !! She wouldn't be getting the nest ready to try again, would she ?? Surely it would be too late now ??
|
|
|
|
Post by Ann70 on May 14, 2021 16:45:03 GMT
 Marioc this will be a short answer about the blue tits having a second brood as far as I’m aware only the great tits have a second brood, but maybe as there has been loses she may try again, im sure others will enlighten us further good luck with the surviving chicks
|
|
|
|
Post by marioc on May 14, 2021 18:44:14 GMT
Well, I must admit, it is behaviour that I have never seen before ... Usually blue tits will carry on to the very end, but it seems that even though there were 2 surviving chicks, they have been left to perish, and the parents have abandoned the nest ... So strange, maybe they were first time parents? Saying that one parent has just come back in and I can still saw that at least one chick is hanging on in there !! However, I do fear the worst for him, if his parents aren't investing in him. I suspect we will know within the next 24 hours ...
|
|
|
|
Post by hfriel on May 14, 2021 19:00:06 GMT
Welcome Marioc, sorry about your lovely BT babies. I’ve had nests for more than 10 years now and never seen such behaviour, apart from her aggressive behaviour which I saw my female do this morning, just after one of her chicks hatched and the male came in with a ridiculously big white lump of food, after seeing the tiny chick he realised his mistake and shot out the hole, she got very agitated, tail up in a fan and screeching, I thought she was being attacked, but looking at outside camera, she was actually calling him back. He did come back and she took his big lump of food, ate some of it and gave a little crumb to newly hatched chick. My point being, I think she is desperately trying to call the male and get him to help, poor thing  Hope the remaining 2 chicks make it |
|
|
|
Post by Ann70 on May 14, 2021 19:10:15 GMT
Very sad to see them perish, blue tits are usually very loyal good parents
Let’s hope the last one will survived hopefully a strong chance with two parents to feed him
|
|
|
|
Post by marioc on May 14, 2021 19:19:31 GMT
Well much to my surprise, Mom has returned to feed and cover the final chick, I really thought that she had abandoned the nest. Let's see what happens over the next 12 hours. As 'Springtime 66' says, if they do invest in him, I am sure he will thrive and survive .. Fingers crossed ..
|
|
|
|
Post by karenupnorth on May 15, 2021 8:57:13 GMT
Hope the little one makes it  so sorry about the little ones that perished, nature is wonderful but can be hard. |
|
|
|
Post by YorksherLass on May 15, 2021 14:54:13 GMT
 Marioc and to the forum. I can't help with your questions but others have answered them & others will reply when they see your messages. Anyway, so sorry about the deaths you've had, so fingers crossed that the last little one survives.
|
|
|
|
Post by marioc on May 15, 2021 19:43:44 GMT
Hi all, sadly the inevitable end occurred this evening ... Try again next year !! If anyone would like to read the story from the beginning, you are welcome to read my blog here : bluetits2021.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
|
Post by karenupnorth on May 16, 2021 7:36:10 GMT
Awe so sorry to hear that, they go through so much in trying to raise a family and for it to be unsuccessful is such a blow. We choose to pry into their world through our cameras and when it goes well it is wonderful to watch but there is always that chance it doesn't hope next year is a better one |
|
|
|
Post by sammi on May 16, 2021 7:42:47 GMT
So sorry to hear the sad outcome. So many things have to be just right at the right time for a successful nest. Hope next year is a good one. |
|
|
|
Post by Taz on May 16, 2021 8:05:39 GMT
So sorry to hear this. Strange things have happened this year. We do get odd events most years, but I think this year is worse 🤔
|
|
|
|
Post by matt on May 16, 2021 8:53:05 GMT
Sad to hear that - I wonder what happened? I wonder if there could have been some disease, or parasite or something like that? To all die so quickly, when things were looking OK, is kind of strange. I'd definitely be giving the box a very good clean before next year in any case - you can never be too careful.
|
|
|
|
Post by karenupnorth on May 17, 2021 8:54:41 GMT
Sad to hear that - I wonder what happened? I wonder if there could have been some disease, or parasite or something like that? To all die so quickly, when things were looking OK, is kind of strange. I'd definitely be giving the box a very good clean before next year in any case - you can never be too careful. I was wondering perhaps some sort of pesticide that their food had been exposed to. |
|
|
|
Post by matt on May 17, 2021 9:23:05 GMT
Sad to hear that - I wonder what happened? I wonder if there could have been some disease, or parasite or something like that? To all die so quickly, when things were looking OK, is kind of strange. I'd definitely be giving the box a very good clean before next year in any case - you can never be too careful. I was wondering perhaps some sort of pesticide that their food had been exposed to. I wonder, Karen? It certainly sounds like some external factor caused this. |
|
|
|
Post by marioc on May 17, 2021 14:47:05 GMT
Thank you all for your comments .. Yes, I think it was something that was introduced to the environment, either via their food or a parasite. Maybe the mother was affected too to some degree, which might account for her strange behaviour, although as an adult she was ultimately able to shake it off, whereas the chicks could not as they were so weak and vulnerable.
|
|
... Has anyone seen such behaviour before ?
Marioc
so sorry about the little ones that perished, nature is wonderful but can be hard.
Marioc and 
