Before The Big Adventure

I thought I’d post a photo of the blue tit chicks in the nest box, just in case they fledge before I get another chance. By counting the days since hatching, they should fledge Fri, Sat or Sun. There is actually eight chicks, not the seven you can see, there’s always one that’s smaller and hidden at the bottom of the nest at times. I noticed that ‘mum’ didn’t stay with the chicks last night, starting to cut the apron strings! At this stage, each chick can eat up to 100 caterpillars a day, no wonder the parents look so bedraggled, bringing up to 800 caterpillars to the nest every day. It’s not over then, the parents probably work even harder delivering food to each individual fledgling for at least two weeks after leaving the nest. I watched one of the parents for the other nest box visit the fat ball feeder about 6 times in a minute and take a bit back to the chicks, that’s only two metres away! Those chicks should fledge any day. A quiet day today, sitting in the sun reading this afternoon after walking into town for a haircut this morning.