A COUP - AND NOT A DOVE IN SIGHT

Tree sparrows attempt nestbox coup

After a breakfast feeding of mealworms all seemed well with my blue tit family until a sinister side of bird life reared its ugly head.

Today has been developing in to a potentially devastating one for the blue tit family, in particular the blue tit chicks.

A pair of tree sparrows appear to have taken a liking to their nestbox and have been inspecting the entrance and generally hanging around outside it.

They constantly chirp away making their presence easy to detect, especially as working from home today I sit just the other side of the wall to the blue tit nestbox.

I've seen the blue tit parents chase of the tree sparrows on a number of occasions and it seems to have done the trick, but tree sparrows have been known to regularly take over another nest, regardless of the situation.

In some cases they build their nest ON TOP of the existing one, even if it has chicks or eggs inside.

So the day ended with my usual late evening meal, though I got a little wet this evening.

All seems to have returned to normal as I post, but rest assured I'll be checking on their progress throughout the weekend, as I'll be spending lots of time in the garden.

More pics soon.