Nest boxes

Tonight and the next two evenings will be spent checking nest boxes however - I will only be checking certain ones.


Last Friday the first and only full box round (190 boxes) was undertaken and 11 of them had eggs. The idea is for me to undertake two checks at the egg stage and four once they have hatched. Those with eggs last Friday will be checked again on the 26th. This allows those boxes with only one egg enough time for a clutch of 11 to be laid and those more advanced with four to six eggs will still be being incubated. 11 is the largest clutch I have seen (3 of). On Good Friday, those nests recorded at N1, N2, N3 are unlikely to have been finished, lined and eggs laid by today, those at N4 will probably also lack eggs in the five days since last being checked. This means the only ones being checked tonight and the next two evenings are those that were recorded at NL on Friday.


It is then intended to make three visits during the nestling stage, one just after hatching, one around FS when the feather is one-third emerged from the sheath and the third visit just before they are due to fledge. The fourth and final visit is intended once they have fledged - an empty box again.


This year it is intended to photograph each full clutch and then photograph the chicks during every visit of every box thus giving me for the first time ever a complete photographic record of each box that made it to the nest record stage.......