Follow the ups and downs of raising a family

Three years ago our volunteer River Monitoring Co-ordinator, Susan Allen, placed a bird box and camera in her back garden, praying for something to nest. She has not been disappointed, as Great Tits, Parus major, have nested every year.

This year as the box and the nests have been fairly successful, she chose to record what happened to the young family of Great Tits.

26th April

After weeks of trepidation, our young pair of Great Tits finally built a nest. The male seemed to not really know what he was doing, however, finally a perfect little egg sat in the box. We have notice over the years, that when building the nest, they peck at the walls of the box, pulling off bits of wood, ‘shaping’ the box to suit them. They then run around the walls of the box, pushing moss, feathers, and even our dog’s fur into the corners. Finally, once satisfied, they lay an egg a day, only roosting at night on them, waiting until all the eggs are laid to begin incubating them. This ensures they hatch at the same time. On the 26th April, the female began incubating her eight eggs.

3rd May

The Great Tit chicks finally hatch, with the last few hatching on the 4th. The chicks are probably about the same size as a fingernail. Their eyes are closed, and they resemble little more than a large beak, opening wide when the harassed parents return. Over the next week, the parents do well feeding them, however, the inexperienced male struggles to get food, and begins to use the peanuts, which we are forced to take down, as at this stage the chicks need insects. A large fat ball helps him a little, until the starlings devour it, showing how the majority of parent birds are struggling to find food after the wet spring and then dry start to summer.

11th May

The chicks are now 8 days old, their feathers and markings are beginning to develop and their eyes are open. Unfortunately, some of them are starting to struggle. The parents are not coping, and only feed the strongest chicks near the entrance to the nest. There just isn’t the food about.

15th May

Sadly, two of the chicks have died. The others have obviously out competing them for food and space, and unfortunately they have been trampled. The parents don’t seem to know what they are doing, and the dead chicks are now too big to remove from the nest.

19th May

Now only three chicks remain, the others are sadly dead in the nest. These three were the strongest, so natural selection is definitely at work; however, it’s hard not to feel sad. I very much wanted to intervene, but nature had to take its course. We have never had such an unsuccessful brood, and have to put it down to the weather, lack of insects and the naivety of the parents.

24th May

The three remaining chicks have now fledged! Over the last few days they have grown very big and strong. After the death of the fourth chick, we thought the adults had forsaken the nest, as they were looking in another box in the garden. Thankfully, though, they came back with full beaks. After the fledging we have not seen them, however, we do know one Great Tit chick was found in the jaws of a neighbourhood kitten, though there are other nests around. After leaving the box, who knows what happened to these little troopers! I can only hope they have been successful.

This years’ brood has been an education in how hit and miss each nest can be. In a Great Tit’s life, a pair must raise at least two chicks to adulthood for populations to stay the same. Six of these chicks died before even leaving the nest and entering the world of predators, just showing what a battle it is for such a small bird to survive.

Fingers crossed for next years’ brood!