Great Tits nesting in the garden

Birds in the garden are always a joy to see. La Pasera is surrounded by lush vegetation in the form of fields, pasture land, woodlands and coastal plains, giving the local bird-life a range of habitats on which to feed, roost and nest. One element that is in short supply locally is a reliable, fresh water supply.

Since we installed the wildlife pond and three shallow birdbaths we have seen the number of garden visitors increase dramatically. At the end of last year we made a bird box from old scraps of wood and attached it high up on the trunk of the old cherry tree in the hope that birds would nest. Some weeks ago we noticed several birds exploring the box and we hoped that one of them would decide that it was a safe and secure nesting site.

This past week or so we observed Great Tits franticly flying to and fro desperate to keep their newly hatched chicks fed. They bring a never ending supply of large green juicy caterpillars, grubs and an assortment of flies and insects, consumed by the hungry chicks in seconds, the exhausted parents fly off again to seek more food for their young.

Not wishing to get too close (and bring the nest box to the attention of Gawber the cat), I managed to get a few shots of the male / female in full action. I think they must be near to being fully fledged and hopefully, the surrounding trees and bushes will provide the young birds with plenty of cover once they leave the nest....dangerous times.

This next picture is a female Blackbird having a well-deserved bath in one of the birdbaths we have in the garden. This particular birdbath was spotted by Luis when we were out on a walk once. Washed down from a hillside following a mud slide, it is sandstone and has a natural smooth and curved hollow. He carried it for 5 Km or so back to the car, a hard and heavy task but well worth his effort.

We'll definitely build more nest boxes this year and both enjoy and value what they bring to La Pasera.