Hi everyone,
I have a bluetit nest in my nestbox but all the chicks have died. There are chicks of different sizes (none of the dead have been removed). Is this normal?
The box has also been attacked, we saw a cat on it on Wednesday which we scared off but think it returned as the next morning the box was at an angle and all the chicks were silent.
Should I clear the box out now or do I have to leave it. The parent birds are still around. Yesterday they were still bringing caterpillars but everytime came back out with them. Today they are just on our feeders and are not interested in the box.
I would be grateful for any advice as this is the 1st year we've had a nestbox.
Matt
Hi Matt welcome to the forums.
With there being dead babies in it i would clean it out and if it was mine i would look at putting something on top of the box to stop the cat again, maybe just a bit of thorn bush/bramble attached to the top may stop it.
Regards Alan
My photos are on Flickr and Website
What a shame Matt. Blasted cats.
As the parents are still around and feeding themselves OK it is wise to clean out the box, put it back, and hope they try again. There is plenty of time.
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Thanks both. I'll clean it out and put it a bit higher too. Hopefully we'll have some more babies soon. My wife and are gutted that they all died.
To show you're not on your own have a look here www.rspb.org.uk/.../77933.aspx