Tuesday 27 May 2014

Snuggly Nest

The two bird boxes in my garden have been vacant since they were first put up many years ago, the birds preferring the bushes to artificial hospitality. Yesterday to my surprise I spotted this cosy little set up in the robin nest box. Who could it be? Have the little chicks fledged already and I've missed them? As you can see the wide rectangular opening to the nest box has been filled in with vegetation, no doubt from my scruffy over grown garden. Blackbirds have a nest in one of my bushes hope they have more luck than a pairing whose fledgling was attacked and brutally killed by a magpie in my front garden. I heard the usual blackbird alarm call followed by the call from the young female blackbird chick but I was too late to scare the magpie off it had already done its deadly work with its beak. Sadly the blackbirds kept returning all day long, quite upsetting really to see new life snuffed out like that.

 

13 comments:

  1. Hi Deb's ...Well that stinks poor things!!..maybe now that the box has been used for nesting perhaps it will get more use, and hopefully with a better outcome!!

    Hope all is well with you ! I have had a crappy winter and spring to put it bluntly !!
    I see you have been doing some posting , while I have been trying to get my act together : }!!

    Love Grace

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  2. Hey there Gracie, hope your fingers are mended, made me grimace.

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    1. Deb's I have had to cut the nail that lifted over half way to the base, but at least the fingers a workable!! : }

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  3. Hope the blackbirds have better luck this time.

    That robin nest looks so cosy!

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  4. Shame about the Blackbird Debs, but even the Magpie has to survive.
    A real cosy looking nest.

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  5. Yeah they do Keith but the magpie seemed to just kill the bird but did not take it for food, I presume it did it to rid the area of competition for resources. It's body wasn't there for long seagulls and crows benefited. Perhaps it would have returned for its kill given time

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  6. Magpies are ratbags. We don't see them much here, we have Jackdaws.
    (Nice pics of Harry, I see what you mean :) )

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  7. Was it a wren's nest? they do like to build out of moss like that. Hard to see the scale on your photo. Nature is cruel and hard sometimes.

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  8. Yes it could be a wrens nest there has been a few in my garden that I have seen

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  9. Hello, Thanks for the comment. I would love to take you up on your sunflower seed offer, are there any seeds I can swap with you in return? I am certainly likely to be buying some more before Spring so I will let you know what I have if you are interested in any, we gardeners always have way more seeds than we can use lol. If you write via my 'contact me' section on the blog then I can give you my address.
    Thanks
    Dan

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  10. Sorry only just seen your message, I've sent you an email so you can send me your addy

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  11. It's ok, I think there has been some difficulty, I did get a message and sent you a reply with my address but it doesn't look like you got it as there was another message from you (that had gone to junk email sadly. Anyway, my email address is danrosshoward@hotmail.com. So sorry as it sounded like I ignored you, I promise I didn't. If you haven't got any replies from me then let me know!

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