egret

egret

Friday 20 May 2011

A sad day!

While pottering about the garden today I noticed an eerie silence around the Great Tit nest box! Only the previous evening I could here the young calling and see the aduts busily commuting to and from the box!
I decided to take a peek and was saddened to see what looked like dead young in the box. On closer inspection I found 5 dead young and 2 almost dead young who's fate was sealed! What had gone so wrong in a matter of hours? The nest was relatively clean and there seemed to be no infestation of ticks or mites! The young that were clinging on for life were very cold and motionless and passed away an hour later! Their feather quils had just began to grow true feathers and they would have probably fledged a week later!
At least the Blackbird young are still noisly calling for food although I have only seen the male bird feeding the young today! I do hope we haven't got a predator on the loose!
Evening update 20:44, just seen the female Blackbird arrive with food :-)

                                          Great Tit young dead in nest!

                                           And laid out for a close inspection!

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