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Post by pete11 on May 4, 2023 13:27:30 GMT
Chick #1 just hatched this lunchtime. Mealworms out in the garden but no sign of the BTs finding them yet. But Mr BT seems to be finding some green things that are either caterpillars or aphids. Hopefully there'll be enough food available....!
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Post by WildlifePaul on May 4, 2023 13:54:54 GMT
Lovely scene Pete! I am due my mealworm delivery this afternoon, Mine hatch the 11th. Should give the male and female a few days to find the feeder
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Post by pete11 on May 4, 2023 14:32:23 GMT
I'm already getting nervous - this little #1 doesn't seem all that keen to raise its head up when either parent bird brings food. Every so often they seem to bring in something massive and black and squidgy which looks like either a spider or a fly and it's just too big.
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Post by WildlifePaul on May 4, 2023 14:46:29 GMT
Could be their first brood Pete, Fingers crossed more suitable food comes in for the baby
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Post by suep on May 4, 2023 15:04:28 GMT
Hopefully they will realise certain things are too big at the moment. Am sure they will get the hang of it. Congrats on the hatchling, and more to come Sue
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Post by pete11 on May 4, 2023 18:06:01 GMT
Long-ish video of some moments from this afternoon.
2 chicks featured here, but 3 chicks now hatched.
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Post by matt on May 4, 2023 18:08:05 GMT
Great stuff Pete! First of the season on here??
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Post by suep on May 4, 2023 18:13:24 GMT
Brilliant Pete, how gentle they are with the chicks, adorable. Sue
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Post by pete11 on May 4, 2023 21:23:23 GMT
Great stuff Pete! First of the season on here?? Yeah, not sure but think it might be? #4 now hatched. Lots of green caterpillars dangling from trees round here, and the BTs seem to be bringing in a fair few green things, so hoping things are ok on the food front.
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Post by Ann70 on May 4, 2023 21:53:09 GMT
Great to see hope all hatch and do well 🐣
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Post by suep on May 5, 2023 12:38:46 GMT
How many have hatched now Pete? Hope it’s a full house. Sue
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Post by sammi on May 5, 2023 15:02:46 GMT
Congratulations on the hatching. Sounds like they have timed it well on the caterpillar front.
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Post by Beechnut on May 6, 2023 8:51:22 GMT
Hope all 12 hatch Pete - It should be interesting to see how they cope with so many. Good Luck!
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Post by pete11 on May 6, 2023 21:12:42 GMT
I counted 9 chicks earlier today. At least a couple of eggs clearly still unhatched underneath the mass of little pink bodies. Not sure tonight but almost looks as if there might be slightly fewer chicks in the nest cup now... But it's really hard to tell. Mum seems to be doing a lot of the feeding, but Dad is still popping in and out a fair bit, too. I also think he's meeting her just outside the entrance to pass her stuff quite a bit. Most of what's being brought in looks like green caterpillar or bits of, so that's a very much better start than last year.
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Post by suep on May 7, 2023 7:30:12 GMT
So difficult to tell with a mass of bodies but I can count 7 gapes in that picture so that is a good number Pete and hopefully the nine are still all there. Fantastic. Sue
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Post by Ann70 on May 7, 2023 18:58:34 GMT
Lovely family group I think I can count 8 😊
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Post by pete11 on May 8, 2023 21:32:13 GMT
Definitely still 9 chicks in there - if not 10, but I can't get a decent snapshot to confirm. Here's another chick-feeding clip from earlier today. Still plenty of green things being brought in, I'm not sure they really need my mealworms, even if they did manage to find them (which they haven't - the main culprit for gobbling them up whenever I put some out is a magpie, although the robins are pretty partial to them as well). And another from this evening...
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Post by suep on May 8, 2023 21:47:33 GMT
Amazing number Pete, and lovely clear video. I am so tempted to turn the light on in my box because with all the dull weather I am getting nothing but bland colours. Trouble is I don’t have the camera etc running all the time so I am worried the light being on one minute and off the next will worry or bother them. Does your light remain constant other than nighttime? Sue
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Post by pete11 on May 8, 2023 21:57:35 GMT
Amazing number Pete, and lovely clear video. I am so tempted to turn the light on in my box because with all the dull weather I am getting nothing but bland colours. Trouble is I don’t have the camera etc running all the time so I am worried the light being on one minute and off the next will worry or bother them. Does your light remain constant other than nighttime? Sue Hi Sue - yes my LED lamp is on all day from dawn till dusk - it's got a light sensor that hangs down outside the nest box that keeps it on automatically as long as it's light enough outside. Without the lamp I don't think the pictures would be anywhere near as good quality.
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Post by Ann70 on May 9, 2023 5:59:12 GMT
Great videos 😊
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Post by suep on May 9, 2023 7:40:52 GMT
Amazing number Pete, and lovely clear video. I am so tempted to turn the light on in my box because with all the dull weather I am getting nothing but bland colours. Trouble is I don’t have the camera etc running all the time so I am worried the light being on one minute and off the next will worry or bother them. Does your light remain constant other than nighttime? Sue Hi Sue - yes my LED lamp is on all day from dawn till dusk - it's got a light sensor that hangs down outside the nest box that keeps it on automatically as long as it's light enough outside. Without the lamp I don't think the pictures would be anywhere near as good quality. Yes, I have the same set up with sensor hanging outside the box Pete, but when I turn off my laptop then the camera and everything connected also goes off which would mean the light going off and on each time. Hubby won’t let me leave off whilst we are out 🙄. Sue
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Post by matt on May 9, 2023 11:36:36 GMT
Lovely videos Pete and such a cosy looking nest!
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Post by pete11 on May 9, 2023 21:30:56 GMT
Ok so there are indeed 10 chicks at the moment, all struggling for supremacy in a heaving mass of pink and yellow. The camera must have mysteriously rebooted itself this afternoon - when it does this it's got three loud birdie "cheep" sounds that it emits to confirm its rebooted ok. The chicks clearly heard these and responded the only way they know how, by stretching themselves up and opening their expectant little beaks Gave a good image to allow me to count them! 8 of them with beaks wide open, the other 2 with them firmly closed at the bottom of the pic (facing each other) ...and here's a video from a little earlier this afternoon - the chicks have grown to the point where they're now able to pop out from all sides as Mum tries to sit over them - she sometimes now just looks like she's slighlty given up, especially when Dad comes in with a tasty morsel and the chicks are up and at it before she has time to vacate.
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Post by pete11 on May 9, 2023 21:44:25 GMT
Hi Sue - yes my LED lamp is on all day from dawn till dusk - it's got a light sensor that hangs down outside the nest box that keeps it on automatically as long as it's light enough outside. Without the lamp I don't think the pictures would be anywhere near as good quality. Yes, I have the same set up with sensor hanging outside the box Pete, but when I turn off my laptop then the camera and everything connected also goes off which would mean the light going off and on each time. Hubby won’t let me leave off whilst we are out 🙄. Sue Ah - my camera and lamp are powered from a separate adapter so stay powered all the time. The camera is recording to its own little SD card - I've set it to record all the time between 0430 and 2130 every day - I get motion detection alerts in the camera's smartphone app...the app also gives me a live view of the camera, and also allows playback of the recordings from any day I select. It's pretty good all things considered, but very fiddly to use, and all falls over in a heap from time to time.
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Post by WildlifePaul on May 11, 2023 19:34:36 GMT
Glad to see all yours is doing great Pete!
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