Tits a couple of weeks early.

I had arranged for a nest box survey with a group of local scouts who had helped put boxes up a couple of years ago--for 8th June. However, having just got back from a weeks holiday, I had a quick look in a couple of boxes to find Blue and Great tit chicks almost ready to fledge. Rapid change of plan meant I had to check the boxes myself yesterday morning--here are the results:-

2019 BELVIDE NEST BOX SURVEY RESULTS

The overall picture is that breeding this year is earlier than average, by a week or more, and that generally brood sizes are average or, but fledging success is very high.

The survey was carried out on the morning of Saturday 18^th May.

92 boxes (all hole) were checked—a further 12 were not checked for a variety of reasons. The two commonest were that they were too far from the path ( too much disturbance of potential nesting habitat), or the box lids could not be removed.

No boxes were checked beyond the west end hide due to lack of time.

Of the 92 boxes checked, 34 were or had been occupied this year by birds.

                                                4 by bees (sp ?)

                                                2 by mice

Of the 34 bird occupied nests, 32 had living broods or warm eggs

                                                        1 had a brood of young dead chicks

                                                        1 had a clutch of cold eggs ( for some days)

Of the 32 containing viable offspring

                                                22 were Blue Tits totalling 197 chicks

                                                10 wee Great Tits totalling 59 chicks and 11 eggs

Blue tit broods varied between 3 and 12 with an average of 8.6 per brood

Great tit broods varied from 5 to 8 with an average of 6.8 per brood.