Mondays at the moment are when I help some of the Wildlife Team here at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal as we check nestboxes round and about the estate. I’m very much a junior member of the team – lots to learn. The questions change as the season progresses. Which boxes are occupied? (by no means all). Which boxes have meticulously constructed nests within – different species, different nesting styles? Which ones have eggs? How many? Covered or uncovered? Cold? Meaning more will be laid. Or warm? Meaning they are about to be incubated. Is there an adult sitting on said eggs? And now – increasingly – have they hatched? Are the absent parents out and about frantically securing food for those ever-open mouths. Which nests – partly finished or fully constructed have been deserted?
The first photo is of nuthatch hatchlings, maybe four days old, courtesy of Colin, a fellow volunteer. My – slightly fuzzier -photo is of some even younger blue tits.
It’s a tough year. It’s been cold, and insects and caterpillars simply aren’t about. Food is hard to come by. Eggs are abandoned, hatchlings starve. Today wasn’t as bad as we feared, and we were glad to see so many boxes with eggs yet to hatch, just as – finally – the temperatures are promised to rise this week.
For Monday Portrait.
I did rather wonder why not a single soul had either ‘liked’ or commented on this post. It turned out to be simple. I hadn’t pressed ‘publish’ after I had written it …
From Pyrenees to Pennines 
Adorable!!!
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It’s a special sight.
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And the parents don’t mind if you take such a close look at their little ones? (those bright beaks get me every time)
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If they’re out and about finding food, they will sound the alarm, and great tits will hiss. But I’m reliably informed they have short memories of our antics, and it certainly doesn’t seem they get too upset.
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A short memory … that might be a blessing in some ways.
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Definitely.
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Hopefully the coming warmer spell will mean better fledging chances. Great shots, both.
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It’s hard to get those shots when you’re aware of wanting to be super-quick to offer minimal disturbance. Yes, it’s warm today – if rainy, so – come on, insects!
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Ah well, now the likes will come tumbling in. And better than pressing Publish too early. What a lovely job, Margaret xx
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It’s so interesting. Distressing too to see those dead nestlings or abandoned eggs, but I’ve learnt such a lot. Some of those babies will soon be taking their first steps towards independence! xx
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Sorry that my WP upgrade, including remote reading, has failed to arrive. I’ll check with the Happiness Engineers. Meanwhile, lovely to see the next generation! It doesn’t pay to dwell too much on the realities of nature’s workings!
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Totally lovely
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So adorable!
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