Two families of blue tits set up camp in our sparrow terrace last year. Each day we watched them come and go with beaks full of nesting materials. I had visions of a garden full of fluffy chicks! By the time Summer arrived they were nowhere to be seen. Weeks past; we knew the nests had been abandoned and they were gone for good.
The breeding season ended so I cleaned the nestbox out. The year before last, I found a dead chick in our single box and was half expecting this to be the reason the blue tits left again last year. I tentatively unscrewed the lid to find this…
Two perfect little nests!! Complete with eggs! You can imagine my joy after expecting something gruesome. I took a few photos inside the box and carefully transferred the nests and eggs onto a piece of newspaper to shoot some closeups.
Blue tit eggs are so tiny; no larger than my thumbnail. All of them were cold though. Part of me hoped they’d still be warm and we could incubate them. Had they had hatched, I have no idea what we would have done with them especially as someone would have needed to regurgitate worms in their mouths.
Keeping unhatched eggs is illegal so I had to get rid of them straight away. Bit of a shame but I’m not sure what I would have done with them anyway.
The nesting material was incredibly soft. A woven mass of straw, dried grass, horse hair, moss and feathers. Freshly hatched chicks would have been very happy here I think.
They put so much effort into making these nests and laying their eggs, I couldn’t understand them leaving. But having thought about it, I think it could be down to threat from the crows or sterile eggs.
Although it was amazing to see two perfectly formed nests with eggs, hopefully next time I open this box it will be empty and we will have provided a home for a new family of blue tits.
Nestbox information
The nests of most birds harbour fleas and other parasites, which remain to infest young birds that hatch the following year. We recommend that old nests be removed in the autumn, from August onwards once the birds have stopped using the box.
Sources: RSPB Cleaning nestboxes
* The RPSB website states that you can clean nestboxes outside the breeding season (between 1st September and 31st January). You can legally remove unhatched eggs between 1st September and 31st January but you must throw them away.
birds and their nesting are so amazing to me. the detail of those nests! so beautiful
Thanks Claudia. It’s a shame they abandoned them after working so hard.
The eggs are beautiful and amazing to see how tiny they are. It’s a little bit heartbreaking thinking they never had a chance to hatch and fly.
I think so too. Maybe we will have more luck next year 🙂 We only put this box up early Spring, so it’s nice they moved in so quickly.
WOW! They’re so clever, aren’t they?! Great shots too, Gemma xx
Thank you Cerys! They are indeed; such cosy looking nests.
some interesting things I never knew about disposing of unhatched eggs and clearing the boxes at certain times of the year, thanks for sharing
Yes, I was quick to dispose of the eggs! I wonder how well know this information is though.
Aw! They are so tiny! I don’t think I’ve ever seen blue tit eggs before. What a treat to find the nests – close call on regurgitating worms though 😉
Job for tomorrow – clean out our nestbox!
Thanks for joining in Bacon Face 🙂
Me either and the only bird eggs I’ve ever seen up close have been those that have fallen out of nests on walks. I was surprised by how small they were, especially when I thought the about the size of the blue tit fledglings I’ve seen in the past.
Aw – so sad. I wonder why the parents abandoned them? But also so beautiful.
I agree Rosie!
amazing information about nest of birds
hi, its not all lovely to watch, i have at this moment Bluetits in my nest box with built in camera, 7 chicks hatched, watched them all being fed but now i can only see 4 of them and 1 dead one just lying there and i cant do anything about it. so sad
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for your 4 remaining chicks. I agree about nature not always being lovely to watch. Our nest box has gone silent now and I wish I knew whether they have fledged or there won’t be a happy ending. I’m considering buying a camera next year so I can see what they’re up to in there.
Would be interested to know that for the last five days blue tits have been putting small amounts of nesting material in next box ((have camera installed) only to return and take it out again. Not sure if
same bluetits! So frustrating. Any hope of nesting do you think? Have fixed metal p!ate on entrance hole. Has this deterred them? Lots of pecking going on. Thank you.
I wonder if they are removing old nesting materials at the same time as building a new nest? Our bluetits would remove nesting materials over time and I would find them underneath. Also, our previous nextbox had a plastic plate around the entrance hole and it didn’t seem to put them off. Hope you’ve managed to get some great footage from the nestbox camera — I’d love to get one.
I’ve just emptied an almost identical blue tit nest out of our box and there was one egg left. I’m hoping the other chicks fledged. Amazing to think that a bird could hatch out of an egg that tiny. I didn’t know you are supposed to throw the eggs away. Why is that?
I thought the same about the egg size, it’s amazing 🙂 I think discarding the eggs has something to do with discouraging people from disturbing nests for egg collection.
I’ve had blue tits building a nest in my nesting box for the first time. However, I was really dismayed to find that today, 30th April all of the eggs had been ejected and found broken on the floor! Just can’t imagine a predator getting to them as they hadn’t been eaten. Hole is just about big enough for great tits but would they do this?