Sunday, 8 January 2017: nest boxes part II

Yesterday we cleaned and surveyed eighteen nest boxes.  Only thirteen left to do this morning!  Fortunately, the remaining ones were all in a straight line down the Meanwood Valley Trail between the Slabbering Baby and the Seven Arches, which makes them much easier to find.

Another perfect day for the task but a smaller team – Steve Joul and three assistants for the first hour and two assistants after that (as your correspondent had to leave for a funeral).

Of the thirteen nest boxes, one was a robin box which could not be found.  All the rest of the boxes (including a starling or treecreeper box) were used by tits.

In case you are wondering what a starling or treecreeper box is, here is a picture.  It is a lot deeper than a tit box and the entrance is on the side of the box, next to the tree trunk.   The tit nest is right at the bottom of the box and it is amazing to think of young great tits or blue tits climbing their way up to the exit when it is time for them to leave the nest.  Since this picture was taken, the nest box has been improved by the addition of a metal plate around the entrance and a plastic roof and back.

View of a tit nest

One of the tit boxes seems to have been used at least temporarily by a pair of nuthatches because the lid was plastered with mud.  However, the nest inside was a tit nest of moss, grass, fur and hair, rather than a nuthatch nest of wood chips.

All in all, another great morning’s work.

Thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s nest box cleaning and surveying, and thanks of course to Steve Joul for sharing all his amazing knowledge and skills.