Blue Tits Inspecting My Nesting Box

NewBoy2

? Is this a bit early as I thought birds started looking in March

wild edges

They'll use boxes for roosting at this time of year. There's definitely a blue tit using one of mine every night but the boxes also make good homes for spiders and caterpillar grubs over the winter so they can be a good source of food for burds too. Birds will check them out in the same way that they inspect tree cavities and cracks in bark for food. I've no doubt that they take note of which might be useful nesting holes while they're there though.

purplerallim

Mine have been looked at by blue tits, great tits, coal tits and house sparrows. Never been used yet. A wren filled one with bedding last year but never used it. Now there are alot of birds house hunting.

Firecracker

One of our boxes, known as charity cottage (bought from a charity shop) had a family of blue tits brought up in it this year. For the last month we see a few return around dusk, they fly straight in without touching the sides. It's amazing what you see from the kitchen window.

Ladybird4

NewBoy2, how nice that you saw your nest boxes being inspected. Many of the tit family start looking in January for prospective nesting sites so it is not unusual, given the mild conditions we have at the moment, that they are looking now. I saw them in my friend's garden before Christmas checking her nest box out.

NewBoy2

I hope they realise that if they use Purple Bricks etc

Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable

This has been my MO for my life so far !!

Ladybird4

Mine too New Boy2

Beware the squatters though. I once had a colony of tree bumblebees move into the end 'semi' of my sparrow terrace. I didn't really mind though. It was interesting watching them come and go about their bee business.

NewBoy2

Still got bumblers on my Phaecelia on Lottie

Sounds like the sort of thing you say to the Docter

Ladybird4

It could be contagious!

batwood14

I have had them inspecting prime real estate bird box too - though had to move the outdoor crimbo lights as they were hanging over the door entrance.....