parents again

[Aberdeenplotter]

Delighted to see Blue tits using the nesting box on the end of my shed. Carrying in beakfuls of grubs and insects so they will be feeding young. Apparently when Blue tits fledge, they depart immediately and the parents don't rear a second brood so we will enjoy them while we can

[mothhawk]

Lovely, AP.

Mine departed this morning I think, all bar one or two, the parents come back every 20 minutes or so, where up until yesterday the interval was only 2 or 3 minutes, and they have been feeding them suet fatball bits these last couple of days as well as big green caterpillars. Not good weather for new young ones to be out, it's pouring with rain.

[Verinda]

Did you see the blue tit webcam I posted earlier this week? It's so lovely to watch.

[Bill HH]

The tragedy is whenever blue tits hatch out in my area the Magpies gobble up every one. Nature can be very cruel.

[dogsbody]

Congratulations and enjoy (I'm hoping my "Bob" comes back to roost again this winter, the location obviously wasn't good enough for family raising)

[mothhawk]

The tragedy is whenever blue tits hatch out in my area the Magpies gobble up every one. Nature can be very cruel.

I've had a magpie hanging around for the last couple of days as well. I'm hoping most of the babies managed to escape it as there's plenty of growth in the garden for them to hide in, then hedgerows all the way to the nearby spinney, so they have some cover. The other side of the coin though, is that like sparrowhawks, magpies also have babies that need feeding. That's why bluetits have so many babies, I reckon. If all bluetits survived, we'd be knee deep in them.

[mothhawk]

Just for a few minutes this afternoon, the bluetits brought their babies back to my garden. Five little balls of yellowy-blue fluff. Lovely.

Don't know how many they had originally, or if there were others nearby in the trees, but these five were all given bits of fat ball - one of those with added insects - then off they all went. I think it must be the very wet weather that keeps the adults returning to the fat balls and sunflower hearts, because most years they vanish once the chicks have fledged and I don't see them again till winter.

I've given the magpie the benefit of the doubt, it was here again today, scooped up a load of fat ball crumbs I'd put down for the blackbird, and off it went. I'd much rather it fed its babies that than bluetit chicks