Nesting season 2001
Broad Street, Guildford, UK.
Page two.
Roosting page, October 2000 to February 2001
31st March 2001. During routine box maintenance, the resident bird (from 1st October 2000) decided it had had enough and moved out on the 29th March. Today, a pair in search of a nest site have been inspecting the now-empty box. These birds have obviously been sleeping rough; here is a picture of the male with his displaced feathers, on his second visit to the residence.
Later on, the female arrived. As we can see here, there is a very marked contrast in size and plumage. Here she is, shouting to the male who is at the box entrance.
Now both of them enter the box together.
The male leaves in a flurry, showing his wing feathers to advantage.
Meanwhile, outside is an equally scratty creature, a squirrel who has scratched a bare patch on his side with his hind leg, attracted by the peanuts.
The peanuts also attracted a chaffinch.
For the sake of the record, here is a photo of nest box 3, with the glass viewing end.
We are now within a week of the date that nest construction started in both 1999 and 2000.
Old birdsite http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/D.Jefferies/bird/birdsite.html
Lifeforms pictures http://www.eryptick.net/lifeforms.htm
Email dj@eryptick.net
diary continues......