Late to the party

I last blipped an image of a great tit on March 25th, when the pair were nest building. Maybe they were offended by my paparazzi efforts, but from March 26th all activity ceased. During April a blue tit turned up daily at dusk, flying from our apple tree into the box to roost. And into May a pair of blue tits explored this and another box. On one occasion I saw the great tits intervening to deter them, but they were showing no sign of doing anything themselves,

Early May I had a look in the box wondering if I should clear it out. There was a comfy unused nest in there, so I decided to leave it, A good decision, because in late May the great tits returned, and now have young who they are feeding regularly. I know it’s the same pair because the female has a serious alopecia problem (extra).

This strange behaviour must have something to do with the weird Spring we have had, A cold dry April, then a cold wet May, delayed leaf emergence. That then meant no caterpillars, the key food resource to feed tit fledglings,

All we need now is got the absent house martins to put in an appearance, The cold Spring and northerly winds has not been good for them either.