31st May 2014 ..

Well the weather has improved, and at 09:30 this morning, this is what happened:

As predicted, Toughie took the plunge, and ventured out into the big wide world.

However, what happened next was a little more unexpected !!
Having seen his big brother venture out, Tiny did this :

I must admit, I didn't think he looked ready at all ... But after a spell of wing flapping, and obviously encouraged by Molly, 20 minutes after Toughie, he too took the plunge !!

A couple of hours later, I was tootling around the garden, and I was convinced that I could hear nearby blue tit calls, and scanned the nearby trees to try and spot them.

Toughie was nowhere to be seen .... but then I spotted Tiny, looking sorry for himself, just below the nestbox, trying to hide in the undergrowth as best he could.

As I suspected, I think he was at least a couple of days off fledging, but he bravely took the plunge, but rather than fly outwards, fell straight down to earth with a bump !!

I know that his Mom would probably have found him down there, but he was so vulnerable down there on his own, and a ready meal for the circling magpies. So, I decided to pick him up and put him back in the box, where he would at least be safe from predators, hoping upon hope that Molly would come back, check the box and continue to feed him.

Sure enough, Molly did return ... Tiny was looking a little lonely and sorry for himself, but seemed to perk up after a meal from Mom.

She has continued to return to the nestbox to feed him. I hope she has realised that he is not quite ready yet, and will try and fatten him up a little more, before he tries to venture out once again. 

30th May 2014 ..

Lots of activity in the nestbox ... and I think that D-Day is fast approaching (for Toughie at least!)
Tiny is finally giving as good as he gets !! Here you can see the size difference between the two of them.

Toughie is doing lots of wing flapping, and even venturing up to the hole !! He's desperate to go ...Molly must think so too, as tonight is the first night when she has left them 'Home Alone'!

Not sure Tiny is quite ready though ... I hope Molly doesn't forget him if Toughie goes ... 

27th May 2014 ..

A few more days have passed, and look at them now !!
As you can see, both chicks are developing fast, but we definitely have a 'Toughie' and a 'Tiny' !!
Fair play to Molly though, she is trying as best she can, to keep them both fed equally. Here, Tiny gets the benefit of a big caterpillar all to himself ...

You might think that this is Molly, but no, this is Toughie !! He is already going walkabout and preening his wings, and showing why he's earned the nickname Toughie, as he sits on his little brother, and then nestles back into the cup looking sheepish, when Mom returns !!

If all keeps on going well, we might actually make it this year.. (fingers crossed !!)

23rd May 2014 ...

I haven't posted any updates for a couple of days, as I must admit, I didn't want to be the bearer of more bad news ! So, I nervously just kept on checking every now and again, always half expecting the worst ...

This was the situation this evening :

I know !!! Isn't she just the best mom ?? The remaining twins, despite all the adversity they have gone through,  are developing well, both have a good covering of feathers and are already stretching their wings at every opportunity. I think that the change in the weather has helped Molly find enough food to keep them both sated. Let's hope that she can keep it up ...

20th May 2014 .. and then there were two !

It looks like the weaker of the trio, gave up the fight, and so we are left with just the two ..

They look perky enough at the moment ...

Let's hope that the recent rain showers can help Molly find enough food for them ..

19th May 2014 ..

Hope springs eternal ...

After the trauma of the weekend,  I genuinely believed that this would be the final post to the blog this year ..

I was slightly encouraged, when I noticed that Molly was still visiting the nest first thing this morning, so I had a peek at the cam, and the last 3 chicks were still alive and kicking ... and off I went to work ...

Arriving home, it was with some trepidation that I turned on the cam ... 
Well, imagine my surprise that not only were the trio of chicks still alive and kicking, but that Supermom Molly had removed all 6 of the dead chicks from the nest !!

So who would have thought that we would see this sight tonight ??

Having invested so much in her brood, Molly has obviously decided to try her utmost to see the job through. Well, with a fair wind and her dogged determination, and now with just 3 chicks to raise, who would bet against her ?? You go girl !!

18th May 2014 .. (2)

Well, I'm afraid I have no happier news to report ...

As I earlier suspected, Mick does indeed appear to have gone AWOL ...

Molly is doing her level best to try and keep the remaining 3 chicks fed, but you can see that she is really struggling. I think she knows the writing is on the wall, but she is still doing all she can to try and keep the remaining chicks alive.

I think that to stand any chance, she will need to remove the perished chicks from the nest, and it looks highly unlikely that she will have the energy to perform such a major task.

Sorry that it's all doom and gloom again, we don't seem to be having much luck recently, but while there's life, there's hope ... So, let's see what tomorrow brings ..

18th May 2014 .. (1)

Seems like I spoke to soon, again ! Will I never learn ...Things seem to have taken a turn for the worse...

Yesterday evening, all seemed well, nine big yellow beaks presenting as soon as the food came in. This morning however, not such a joyful scene.. 

One chick perished overnight .. Sad, but it is unusual for the whole brood to make it full term. However, looking at subsequent footage, I have a bad feeling that we may have a repeat of 2 years ago.

As of 12:30, only 3 beaks are eager to get any food that comes in. The others are still in the cup, but look very lethargic and disinterested. However, it is quite warm today, so maybe they are just feeling the heat.

I've also noticed a distinct lack of Mick ! Which could explain things, if Molly is having to do all the work herself, and just isn't finding enough food.

So the prospect of any fledging this season, once again looks bleak ...

I'll keep an eye on the cam, and update you all later with the latest situation ...

Fingers crossed ....

16th May 2014

Not wanting to tempt fate, but thus far, it is great news from the Nestbox ... 

As you can see from the latest clip, all 9 chicks are doing so well. Mick & Molly are really doing a fantastic job sharing out the food they are bringing in, and as a result there doesn't appear to be a runt in the brood.

I think that Molly will need to start making some home improvements to increase the size of the cup, as the chicks are growing so fast, and it's getting quite cramped already ! In fact one chick in particular, is making regular forays out of the cup ... I think he's sussed that being out there, he is closer to the food when it comes in, though I think his parents have already got wise to this little ploy !!

13th May 2014

Can you believe that these hatchlings are barely 2 days old ?? Nine hungry beaks begging to be filled.They seem to have doubled in size overnight !!  Testament to the fantastic job that Mick & Molly are doing with their feeding duties ... Let's hope they can keep it up ...

12th May 2014

Well, shows what I know !! At 06:21 this morning, chick no. 9 made an appearance, a full day after his siblings, to give us a full complement. Let's hope that he is tough enough to get to the front of the queue when the food comes in !

Methinks, Mom & Dad are going to be very busy ...

Here we see the proud parents looking over their brood ...

Mick brings in a huge caterpillar, which Molly immediately tries to feed to the first hungry beak to present ... I think the little chick will think twice next time !! 

Here we have the first real glimpse and confirmation of all 9 beaks ...

11th May 2014

Looks like we have 8 out of 9 chicks hatched now. I suspect that the last egg probably won't hatch now, but you never know ...

Both parents, so far, have been brilliant, especially Mick who has been backwards and forwards every few minutes, bringing food for both Molly and his already hungry brood  ... only a day old and their instinct to beg for food is already apparent ..

10th May 2014 - Hatching Day ...

... the answer to the question in my previous post is now apparent ... Chick 1 made his/her appearance at 07:41 this morning ...

Chicks, 2,3,4 & 5 soon followed ...  

At the time of writing (17:30), there are still 4 eggs to hatch .. I'm sure we will have a full complement by morning, and 9 hungry little mouths to feed...

5th May 2014

Well ... I thought from all the to'ing and fro'ing, that Mick & Molly were still busy adding the finishing touches to their new home .... So you can imagine my surprise, when I switched on the cam to find this :

Molly has obviously been a very busy girl !!

9 eggs this year ... Not sure when they're due, but the cam is on full time now, so I'll keep an eye on it ...

May 2014

Well the long Winter is over, and following a bit of a bun fight between the Blue Tits, Great Tits and Wrens, it is the Blue Tits (Molly & Mick),who fought off all the competition, and took residence ...