Blue tits nesting in the garden

We wrote some time ago about making new nesting boxes for the garden. Last year great tits nested as they have done for the past 5 years in the existing box but the two new ones were inspected, but not used. This year however, we have blue tits.

Two new nest boxes sited in 2013

One of the boxes is sited on a very old and leaning cherry tree that we can see out of the lounge window. The other morning whilst cleaning out the stove, I looked up and spotted a pair of beautiful blue tits flitting from branch to branch and eventually one of them, landing on the box and entering with nesting material.

A good minute or so past, the other bird kept watch nearby.

The blue tit re-emerged and spent another 20 seconds or so looking around before hopping out and flying off again only to return a few minutes later.

Having lots of birds around is important to maintain a natural balance in the garden. With a bit of luck, a good brood of chicks and frantic feeding regimes we'll have much fewer of these little caterpillars to contend with in the coming months.