FEATHERING THE NEST

The weather in May is like April, full of showers and gradually cooler weather.

But nothing is dampening the spirits of the great tit parents as they continue to ensure their eight chicks are fed.

The feeding frenzy is obviously working as the chicks are now filling the nest and jostling for position when the next delivery of mealworms or caterpillars is brought in.

I suspect it's only a matter of days before the chicks fledge and I hope the weather improves so the chicks have the maximum chance of survival.

On a sad note a witnessed a female duck and her eight ducklings, on their way to a water source, being run over and killed by a car on a local road. The car didn't brake or even try to avoid the family and it made my heart sink deeper than I ever thought wildlife would make me feel.

I suspect having my own young family and watching the great tits be born and grow up has contributed to me feelings.

On a happier note the images below are from yesterday morning to this evening, giving you an idea of how much the great chick tits have grown.

Thursday 7am

Thursday 7pm

Friday 7am

Friday 7pm

A PECKING ORDER

Another day and several more feathers are starting to show on all of the great tit chicks.

While at most times only four to six chicks have their bright, wide yellow mouths visible to the camera, I have counted all eight at once today.

The mini mealworms arrived today and a scattered a few around this evening before watching the adult great tits feed their chicks.

I've not seen much of the other wildlife in the garden as I spent much of the evening dealing with the wild animal that is my daughter!

Below are two images taken first thing in the morning and just before the chicks are put to bed for the night.

6.30am

8.00pm

FEATHERED FRIENDS

Another day for the eight great tit chicks has seen them start to show their feathers.

At just five days old I'm amazed at how much they grow in 24 hours. The parents constant feeding is obviously working well as all the chicks seem to be progressing well.

I won't get much chance to see them until the weekend but will have morning and evening images from tomorrow of them.

A new delivery of mealworms arrived today, just in time as the previous supply will run out tomorrow.

As you can see from the picture the chicks are already becoming greedy and wanting food every second of daylight hours.

The garden has benefited from some heavy rain showers this week, the pond in particular is reaping the rewards. The frog is now officially a pond resident and I caught up with him this evening.

Other wildlife are carrying on the spring task of raising young and I'm expecting to see more fledglings in the garden in the next few days. I think the robin chicks must be near to leaving the nest.

FEEDING FRENZY

The great tit chicks are growing fast, as all eight are being fed at regular intervals by both parents with all sorts of food.

I put a few mealworms out this evening and the great tits, robins and blackbirds were on them within seconds of me putting them out.

The first great tit chick had eaten a mealworm less than a minute later, although one parent still found other food while the other swooped on the mealworm feast.

Below is a two minute video showing some of the feeding action this evening.

What amazes me about the footage was the way the chicks ate the food, then upturned themselves to 'deliver' the parent feeder, a fecal sac; the parent also waiting until the sac appears.

They are still blind and just 4.5 days old, but possibly only another 10 days from leaving the nest!

But tonight they'll be sleeping covered and kept warm by the female.

SUNSHINE & SHOWERS

A typical April day in May, failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the parent great tits as they continued to feed the eight hungry mouths in their nestbox.

Every so often, more in the morning and evening, the female would incubate the young while the male would gather food of various kinds.

Mealworms, caterpillars, insects and spiders were brought in today and the chicks are certainly showing signs of growing.

They're now asleep and being kept warm by the female.


In other news the robin, blackbird and dunnock parents are busy raising their broods, although I've still not seen any blue tits about the garden.

Other birds singing around include the swallows, chiffchaffs, goldfinches and wrens.

Finally the frog has welcomed the rain today, although a lot more is needed to fill the pond back to full.

POOP & SCOOP

The great tit chicks are growing by the hour as their parents bring them hoards of insects, caterpillars and other small creepy crawlies.

I've watched as various green caterpillars are brought in to the chicks, along with the mealworms I'm supplying in small numbers.

The female is very meticulous about cleaning the nest, spending minutes at a time shifting the chicks about and removing an parasites or unwanted dirt. The video was recorded while my own daughter was having a tantrum so please excuse the audio!

I'm learning so much about the activity inside a used nestbox, including about how old the chicks are before they allow the parents to remove their poo sacs from the nest.

I watched one chick being fed today, then immediately turning upside down and showing a fecal sac for the parent to take away. This is even more remarkable as the chicks are still blind.

The warm and wet weather is good in many ways for the chicks, although the parents are sometimes looking a little wet.

I'm hoping there's enough food to feed the chicks as the battle is on for survival.

The frog is still occupying an ever decreasing pond, although the rain so far this weekend is filling it up a little bit.

The swallows are in full voice, while the blackbirds are feeding the newly fledged chicks and I'm trying to find out exactly where the robin and dunnock parents have nested and are feeding their chicks.

With the feeding of chicks season well underway, a witnessed a dunnock chasing a blackbird off a mealworm.

A fun time for wildlife fans, but nerve wracking for parents and those who watch the youngsters struggle for survival.

EIGHT IN THE BED

And the little one said, "can have that caterpillar please."

Ok I made that up, but it's what the smallest chick could be saying.

All eight eggs have hatched and the parents are obviously feeding them well as they all seem healthy.

Due to a long day and spending this evening with my only offspring after she came home after a few days away, I've not spent much time looking at the chicks.

As the thunder booms overhead the female great tit is nestling on the chicks and keeping them warm during the night.

Over the weekend I hope to get lots of video and images of the chicks and note how often the parents feed them and with what food.

Until then I hope they have a good night of sleep, just like my daughter!