Six of us accompanied Steve Joul in surveying birdboxes along the Meanwood Valley trail – from the Slabbering Baby to the Seven Arches, while Michelle did some litterpicking. Again most of the boxes had been used. 
Perhaps the most surprising find was when Steve opened box number 30 and a blue tit which had been resting inside flew out!
Everyone else left by 1 pm, but Steve and your correspondent completed the survey by cleaning the boxes from the Slabbering Baby up to the cricket pitch. Again most of the boxes had been used. A special find was that one of the boxes (number 47, south of the cricket field) had been used by a nuthatch. It had used mud to fill in the cracks around the roof and the nesting material was all birch bark chippings . That it was a nuthatch nest was later confirmed by an almost identical picture on the internet.
Nuthatch nest
The results of our surveys will be posted on our website shortly.
The day started very windy and overcast, but by 2 pm it was a truly glorious Spring day and it seems likely that the blue tits and great tits are already getting ready for this years breeding season.
Friends of Adel Woods 