An update for the past week.

 

I have been away for a week so haven’t been able to update, so what follows is a brief update of what’s been going on this last week. Up till now, things have been fairly ‘normal’ and what we would have expected, but then some odd changes occurred...

12^th June Box 6 laid an egg but it was outside the nest cup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

so the box was opened whilst they were out to find a second egg out of camera view. Both were put back into the nest (this is the good thing about having an opening door at one end of the box) and the parents came back that evening, with one on the nest and the other not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13^th June This morning, both the eggs in Box 6 were still in the nest and the parent birds out briefly but coming back to incubate apparently.

Box 1 laid a 3^rd egg but only one of the parents came back to roost overnight.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14^th June In Box 1 the now three eggs were visible in the nest but no parents were in all day long until only one came back to roost that evening - we wonder whether the remaining adult has lost it’s partner somehow.

In Box 6 the adults were also out most of the day with only one coming back to incubate at lunchtime, and the second returning that evening.

15^th June In Box 1 only one egg was now visible...what’s happened to the other two? There were no adults in the box all day and none returning to roost that night. It looks like they’ve given up….

In Box 6, two eggs are still in the nest, with one bird apparently incubating and the second returning onto the nest and staying overnight. 

16^th June In Box 1 only one adult came back to the nest briefly at lunchtime, with two on the nest overnight...has Box one parent found a new partner?

In Box 6 one adult was on the nest except for a brief outing in the afternoon, with two adults on the nest overnight.

17^th June In Box 1, two adults were in and out at various times of the day.

In Box 6, one adult was on the nest most of the day, and both adults came in to roost at night.

So, it looks like Box 1 have more or less given up incubating seriously which is a great shame as the young were due to hatch around the 20th June - on the other hand, Box 6 who we thought were first year birds who wouldn’t raise any young this year seem to be doing so - so far that is!

Here is a video taken this morning (18^th July) of the parent on the nest in Box 6, you can see it sticking down feathers around the edge of the nest.

  

On the brighter side, even if we don’t get any young this year at least we still have two pairs resident here!