Wildlife cameras

After having almost forgotten about it, we spotted comings and goings from our nestbox again this year. I've had a small TV sitting around waiting for re-homing, so I set it up to watch what was going on - blue tits, I think 4 or 5, the largest already set to fledge. That one has now gone, and his smaller siblings are starting to flap around inside the box. So, a better year for them hopefully.

That's good to hear Chilli Head. We are much visited in the winter by blue, great, coal and marsh tits. I can usually tell which have had a good year and which haven't. I think the blue tits are most consistent in numbers the others fluctuate.

Empty nest box this morning, but for one unhatched egg. Looks like they successfully got 5 to fledge. Will be on the lookout for fluffy little balls perched around the garden over the next few days, and try to chase away the neighbour's cat

That's really good news Chilli Head.
Sadly, this one didn't get that far. She was very low down underneath a trailer and disappeared a few days after I had seen her. There were no feathers and just one egg on the ground. I think she must have abandoned the nest - magpies would be a number one suspect.

That's such a shame, Ploshkin.

On another forum one of the members has had 5 Great Tits fledge from her camera box. It's all the more pleasing because last year all the chicks died.

And I am hooked on the Salisbury Peregrine webcam where the 4 chicks are growing fast. It's incredible how mucky the whole area has become - discarded bits of prey, poo up the sides of the box and in the area all around it - unlike the houseproud Great tits who removed the poo in neat parcels!

While we were lambing and out and about in the early hours we had several sightings of a barn owl over the yard.  I've seen them occasionally in the area but not that close to home before.  When my niece and her boyfriend were staying they also saw it and heard it on several occasions (they met at a bird of prey centre where they both volunteered so they know their owls).  Boyfriend introduced me to the sound and I can sometimes locate its position in the trees when I am out shutting in the chickens.  Recently, on just a couple of occasions, I have heard distinctive, raspy, heavy breathing coming from up in the roof of our big cattle shed during the day.  We have a loft in the front corner and there is a gap between the shed roof and the wooden roof of the loft.  When boyfriend was here he said he thought it might be taking an interest in the loft - it's in the direct sight line (about 200m) from the edge of the forestry at the top of the bank opposite which they apparently like.
Anyway, I definitely don't want to go up a ladder and peer in the gap - I don't want to disturb anything that might be there and people have lost eyes to barn owls.   I have thought many times about a camera trap and this seems the perfect excuse to get one so I'm off to do some research.

Ooh, exciting prospect, Ploshkin.
Hope you have a budding owlery.

Camera trap ordered

That was quick work!