Every year we are lucky enough to have birds in the two nesting boxes we have in the garden. One box is by a rambling rose on the pergola and another is on an old birch tree trunk, which is near some tall bamboo plants and shrubs. Both situations give good foliage cover for the birds. We had a family of great tits in one box and blue tits in the other.
It is always lovely when you suddenly spot that the birds are nesting again. You see them searching around the boxes and then it seems to go quiet and you think there isn't going to be any actually nesting this year, then suddenly you realise they are there after all, as they begin to get busy feeding. It culminates in a few frantic weeks of the birds constantly coming and going to and from the boxes as they feed the young. It is absolutely fascinating to watch and can be a bit mesmerising.
It is lovely when you first hear the chicks have hatched and you can hear them chirping away waiting for the next grub to arrive. The parent birds must use so much energy as they search for grubs and fly to and from the nest from dawn until dusk.
If you are lucky then you get to see the chicks fly the nest, this is a sight to behold and can leave you transfixed by the window for hours if you are not careful. If you miss that treat, you can usually see the chicks fluttering around the garden, usually in the borders and hedges. The parents are never far away, still helping to feed them. We watched the parent blue tits toing and froing from the fat feeder we have in the apple tree and taking it to the young fledglings in the herbaceous border. The great tit fledglings were fluttering and hovering in the blossom tree for most of the week.
Both sets of birds seemed to hatch and fledge a week or so earlier than usual. I don't know if that is because of the mild winter we have had or not. You can always guarentee that they are gone by the end of May though whatever the weather.
The great tit perching on the tree stump, bringing back the dinner!
Flying off busy to get more grub!
Perched on the pergola. That's one very juicy grub you have got there!
And back with another one, those baby blue tits must be hungry!
Just popping out for a take away!
I need a rest, this is getting hard work!
I will just stay quiet and still, someone is watching me I think!
Mother and father great tit, where is my brecko?
If you don't hurry up I'm coming to get it myself for goodness sake!
At long last you are here!
You're going to have to get some more for me, sorry!
And now I'm trying to fly and feed on my own!
I think I like it up here!
Now if I tweet loud enough mum or dad might just come with dinner once more if I'm lucky!
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