Great Tit Chicks Fledged

The surviving three Great Tit chicks from the nestbox have successfully left the nest today and are being fed by the adults in the garden.

Great Tit update

The Great Tit chicks are preening and exercising their wings ready to leave the nest. Unfortunately only three chicks remain alive. This may be disease or the cold weather which has resulted in a poor supply of food.

Butterflies in Elemore woods

Very windy today. Walked over hill to Elemore woods. More sheltered in the woods. Saw Peacock butterfly and also my first Speckled Wood butterfly of 2007.

Great tits and bluebells

The great tit babies are growing rapidly and obviously very hungry with large yellow gapes every time the parents visit the nest. I think there are seven chicks surviving from the original ten eggs although it is difficult to tell when they are so squashed together.

Walked in Elemore woods yesterday where there were carpets of bluebells.

Spring flowers on the old railway line.

Walked along the line yesterday. Gorse is in full bloom with a delicate almond scent. Bluebell, cowslip, wild strawberry, bird's foot trefoil and wild violet are growing in the footpath edges.
Hawthorn flowers are appearing in the hedges.

Nest box activity

All eggs hatched. Both adults feeding babies.

Great tit eggs hatching

The great tit eggs in the nestbox are starting to hatch this morning.

First swallow

Saw my first swallow on 29th April in Haswell Plough.