Feeling a bit broody

With winter loosening its grip on the British countryside our bird life is starting to look forward to spring! Here at BTO HQ, we are winding up to a busy nesting season and are searching the hedgerows and bushes for nests.


Egyptian Geese - photo by Rachael Barber

So far this year we have found nests of Coot, Egyptian Geese, Mallard, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Long-tailed Tit, Wren, Collared Dove and Dunnock, with more species being added every day. Each nest will be fully recorded for the BTO Nest Record Scheme (NRS) with nest finders following the NRS code of conduct.


Mallard nest with nine eggs - photo by Lee Barber

Robin nest - photo by Rachael Barber

Several BTO staff and volunteers record nests around Thetford, Norfolk, but how do we avoid recording the same nest? The answer is that we share a Google Map between us, with colours and shapes used to denote the progress of each nest and a note included of who found the nest. After a day of 'nesting' we update the map with our exciting discoveries and this informs everyone of where the nest is, the species, when it was found and at what stage the nest is at (nest only, nest with eggs, chicks, not active). Each recorder will then follow 'their' nests and submit them to the BTO (usually via the ringing group) at the end of the season/nest completion.



Last years nest locations on a shared Google map

Across the country there are some species that have been nesting for some time already including Grey Heron, Raven, Dipper, Stock Dove, Cormorant and Crossbill. The BTO NRS Forum has come alive with reports of nests, includes a Peregrine laying in Woking, Surrey (webcam link), a Woodpigeon squab about two weeks old in North Cornwall and Moorhen, Mistle Thrush and Ring-necked Parakeet with eggs in London. Dippers have full clutches in the Scottish Borders and some chicks have already been ringed in Wales. A Stock Dove in North Norfolk must have fledged by now as well.


 

Blackbird nest - photo by Lee Barber

Nest recording is vital to our understanding of productivity and every nest counts! It is amazing how much difference one nest record can make. By looking at the NRS submission totals, you can see what nests have been recorded previously (2016 records are still being analysed). In 2015, just 24 Goldcrest, 15 Snipe and nine Grasshopper Warbler were recorded in the whole country. Take that down to the county level and you could make a big difference to the totals, especially if you focus on one particular species. Open nesting birds are particularly under recorded because they are generally harder to find, but with a little practice and patience it can be done. Click here to find out how to take part and develop your nesting skills.

Owl and raptor mid-season update

That annual Barn Owl breeding success is influenced by peaks and troughs in abundance of field voles, the species' main prey item in many areas, is hardly news to Barn Owl recorders. But after seeing some of the lowest levels of nesting activity in memory in 2013, followed by record productivity in 2014, many might be wondering just when they'll next get an 'average' season. Not in 2015 it seems: anecdotal reports so far suggest Barn Owl productivity has been much lower than expected, though other species seem to have followed on better from last year's bumper season.

Poorer than predicted Barn Owl breeding

Back in February, Barn Owl expert Colin Shawyer predicted that, provided spring conditions remained mild, the exceptional number of 2014 fledglings would mean good recruitment of young breeding birds, but also that though egg-laying could be expected at the usual time in late-April/early-May, a decline in vole numbers from their 2014 peak would result in smaller brood sizes and fewer fledglings this year.

Subsequent early visits to Barn Owl nest boxes revealed much less activity than expected. In late May, Colin visited 25 boxes that had contained 16 active nests in March 2014, only to find just eight with signs of adults present and three clutches of eggs. Non-breeding females were found to be underweight, suggesting that, whether caused by recent wet weather affecting foraging or simply the scarcity of voles, birds were late getting into breeding condition.

By mid-June, reports on the NRS Forum were sounding similar. Alan Ball, Bob Sheppard and Keith Bowden, in Lincolnshire, had checked most of their boxes and found four Barn Owl pairs on eggs or chicks. On the same date in 2014, they had been monitoring 200 nests. Frank Mawby, in Cumbria, Peter Wilkinson, in Cambs, and David Garner, in Cambs, were also reporting low breeding occupancy, and an apparent shortage of prey. Bob Danson, a recorder in Lancashire, commented that food larders had disappeared after the very beginning of the season, in contrast to 2014 when piles of six and seven voles were common.

A single Barn Owl chick at 20-25 days. In 2015 there have been many reports of broods sizes dropping to just one or two chicks. Photo by BTO.

In mid to late July, when Barn Owl chicks are often ready for ringing, there were reports of brood sizes of three and four having reduced to just one—Mike McDowall in East Lothian, David Garner in Cambs and Frank Mawby in Cumbria all ringed single chicks. By the time Bob Danson had ringed his latest brood on 3 August, just eight of the 23 nests he had found so far in his 80 boxes had produced chicks, and his ringing total had reached only 18.

Better Barn Owl news has come in from elsewhere: Nigel Lewis at Salisbury Plain observed a good proportion of boxes with clutches of eggs in May and Judith Smith, in Manchester, has ringed several healthy broods of four and five chicks, including some in new boxes. Geoff Myers, in Lancashire, reported that good numbers of both early and later laying Barn Owl pairs had successfully reared broods and that by 24 June he had ringed a brood of six and several broods of five—very advanced compared to elsewhere.

Tawny Owl, Little Owl and Kestrel fortunes

There have been mixed reports for other box-nesting owl and raptor species that tend to be well-monitored by ringers and nest recorders. Alan Ball, Keith Bowden and Bob Sheppard reported that they had ringed just six Tawny Owl chicks in their boxes in Lincolnshire, compared to 130 in the same boxes in 2014. On the other hand, Bob Danson, in Lancashire, encountered 17 nests in 30 boxes—his second best annual total after last year—from which 26 chicks fledged, including four broods of three. Bob noticed that rats made up a higher proportion of prey in his Tawny Owl boxes, along with baby rabbits.

Several recorders have spoken of Little Owls doing well this year, a species that is obviously less dependent on rodent prey. Alan Ball, Keith Bowden and Bob Sheppard monitored 65 nests and ringed 100 chicks, compared to 80 nests and 188 chicks in 2014. Bob Danson's 70 Little Owl boxes saw occupancy increase to 16 pairs in 2014, from 12 in 2014 and 7 in 2013. He recorded 36 fledged young altogether, including a brood of five and two broods of four.

Two recently fledged Kestrels photographed by Wilf Hockney, who accompanied Steve Baines on several of his Kestrel box rounds this year. 

Kestrel reports have also been positive. Steve Baines monitors 20 boxes in Chelmsford, Essex, and 13 had pairs this year, one of his highest occupancy rates, though he noted that clutch sizes were down relative to 2014: clutches of five and four but no sixes, and that the number of chicks fledged overall (36) was slightly lower than 2014. Bob Danson reported a similarly successful season for Kestrels in Lancashire and noted more bird prey in boxes than usual, including a Swallow. In contrast, Alan Ball, Keith Bowden and Bob Sheppard had monitored only 6 nests by mid-June, compared to 150 at the same time in 2014.

Late season comeback?

Although the breeding season has now finished for Tawny Owl and Little Owl—bar perhaps a few exceptionally late nests—there will still be a proportion of Kestrels tending to chicks, and of course there is the question of whether we will see any Barn Owl second broods or late-season nesting attempts in previously empty boxes. As Dave Leech has pointed out in a recent interview for Radio 4, this might happen if non-breeding females have managed to get into breeding condition, although Colin Shawyer has observed that vole numbers appear to remain very low. Either way, good data on the extent of late and repeat broods is essential for assessing Barn Owl productivity, which is why those late-season box checks are so important...

The BTO Nest Record Scheme is one of the ways in which raptor populations are monitored in Britain & Ireland. These results are complemented by periodic single-species surveys and, in Scotland, by the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme.

Many thanks indeed to: Steve Baines, Alan Ball, Keith Bowden, Bob Danson, Wilf Hockney, Nigel Lewis, Frank Mawby, Mike McDowell, Geoff Myers, Colin Shawyer, Bob Sheppard, Judith Smith, Peter Wilkinson

Nest with the best

Over 250 keen NRS participants have attended BTO nest recording courses since veteran recorder and volunteer tutor Tony Davis ran the pilot in 2008. This year, thanks to BTO Scotland and recorders Colin Davison and Gilian Dinsmore, the regular weekend courses in Norfolk and Surrey were joined by a brand new afternoon workshop at Scotland's Big Nature Festival.

Punchbowl pipits

Five weeks ago nine more keen recorders met Tony at the Devil's Punchbowl in Hindhead, Surrey, to spend a weekend increasing their nest finding knowledge. Saturday was spent learning to find warbler and finch nests in gorse at a nearby heath, and looking for Skylark nests at Butser Hill. Then on Sunday the group descended into the Punchbowl itself and soon found what appeared to be two Tree Pipit territories either side of the main path. The next hour was spent practicing watching nesting activity unobtrusively, which for wary Tree Pipits often means at least 50 metres back! One pair turned out to be feeding fledged chicks and an hour spent on the other territory proved inconclusive—at least for the target species. After standing in the same spot for 20 minutes, attendee Colin became aware of a Robin stealthily taking food into a patch of gorse immediately behind him. The bird was watched carefully for two more visits, the 'hotspot' was searched, and a nest found containing four young. Nest number 15 out of 25 found over the whole weekend—plenty for Tony to follow up!

Top: Colin Wilson searches for a Robin nest after watching an adult carrying food. Bottom: Trainee Teifion Thomas rings a brood of Robins from another nest, while ringer Colin Wilson supervises

Scotland's Big Nature Festival

The weekend before the Surrey course, Scotland's Big Nature Festival played host to its first ever nest recording workshop, thanks in part to a local volunteer who couldn't actually be there on the day. Keen for the workshop to include an outdoor demo where people could be shown nests and how recorders safely monitor them, BTO Scotland realised that one of the country's top nest recorders, Colin Davison, lived near the venue. When they contacting him about helping, Colin said that he was working that day but would try to find a few nests in advance—and then promptly located 12!

Top: veteran nest recorder Colin Davison pointing out the location of a Chiffchaff nest. Bottom: Ben Darvill takes people on a bird song tour as part of BTO Scotland's roster of events at the 2015 Big Nature Festival

The workshop was very well attended and began with talks from Mark Wilson (BTO Scotland) on why Scotland needs more nest recorders and another local recorder (and Reed Warbler expert) Gillian Dinsmore on her experiences getting started. Mark and Gillian then announced the outdoor demo and were delighted when 30 keen members of the public stepped forward. Folk were divided into groups and taken on carefully planned tours of Colin's nests, which included some in cover (Blackcap with eggs, Robin with chicks), some on the ground (Skylark and Meadow Pipit, both with eggs), and a Blue Tit nest in an unbelievably narrow crack on the wall of one of the observation hides. It was great to see so many people interested, especially given the pressing need for more recorders in Scotland, and needless to say plenty of NRS starter packs were given out. Both Colin and Gillian have pledged their support for future workshops—hopefully Colin will be able to attend the next one!

Interested in going on a nest recording course? Please see here.

A huge thanks to volunteers Tony Davis, Colin Davison and Gillian Dinsmore for making this years' courses/workshops possible, and a huge thanks to BTO Scotland staff Ben Darvill and Mark Wilson, and BTO Thetford staff Mike Toms, Hazel Evans and Debbie Todd. And of course thank you to all the course and workshop attendees!

Chiff-ful start to the nesting season

Over in Cambridgeshire there’s been wonderful sunshine, but accompanied by overnight frosts. Thankfully this hasn’t put off the resident birds at the National Trust’s Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve, where members of the ringing and nest recording group are getting ready to ring the first broods of Blackbirds. Also, our first Coot brood has just hatched, Long-tailed Tit clutches are about to hatch, Blue Tits and Great Tits are laying, and we’ve started monitoring our first finch nests: an almost fully-built Chaffinch nest was found a week ago and a pair of Goldfinches were spotted building last Thursday.

Water birds such as Coot (pictured) and Moorhen commonly hatch their first broods in mid-April

As for summer migrants, arrivals have been stalled by strong north-westerly winds, according to the BTO migration blog, and indeed Blackcaps at Wicken have been singing on territory for only a week and Willow Warblers still seem thin on the ground. One short-distance migrant, though, has been getting off to a flying start this season and keeping our nest finders very busy: Chiffchaff!

During Easter weekend we saw plenty of male Chiffchaffs singing from tree tops but no birds skulking lower down (a tell-tale sign of a female getting ready to build). Last Monday, things had got busier: males were singing back-to-back and chasing each other off territories and ‘hueet’ contact calls could be heard everywhere. Then, on Tuesday 14, we caught our first glimpse of a bird with a beakful of long grass—a building female! Early next morning we spotted another bird building and then on Thursday 16, Anne, our main nest finder, found five more nests, some almost fully formed (a characteristic domed construction). By Monday 20, we had found 11 nests, two lined with feathers, and that morning we found nest number 12 at an early stage, the female pinging back-and-forth with large bits of material.

Chiffchaff nest at Wicken Fen in 2014. Built just above the ground, the nest is dome shaped, made from reeds and some finer grasses, and lined with feathers. c.200 Chiffchaff nests are monitored across the country for NRS each year.

So what to expect this weekend? Those lined nests will probably have eggs, though females may still be building on other territories. Nest recorders elsewhere have begun reporting Blackcaps on eggs, Whitethroats and Willow Warblers building, and Chaffinches on full clutches.

How far along are nesting birds on your patch? Help the BTO collect vital data on nest productivity and timing of breeding by taking part in the Nest Record Scheme.

Bumper Barn Owl breeding season

Barn Owls are one of our most iconic and recognisable birds. Over the past couple of years this species has struggled due to severe weather events, with last year being particularly difficult as reported here and here. It is estimated by Colin Shawyer of the Barn Owl Conservation Network (BOCN) that only one third of the British Barn Owl population attempted to breed in 2013.

Successful Barn Owl breeding seasons are dependent both on favourable weather conditions and food availability. The primary food item for Barn Owls is the Field Vole which demonstrates cyclical population trends. Reports coming in to us here at the BTO suggest that 2014 is a good vole year and as a result, may turn out to be the best Barn Owl breeding season since 2007. Early estimates from the BOCN suggest that an average of 33% of pairs have had second broods this year, although in some areas, this figure could be as high as 65%. Average brood size (first and second broods) is also high although the recent spell of wet and colder weather may have impacted on fledging success for some broods.

Whilst we have not yet had all of the ringing data for 2014, the totals are already up on last year. For example, in 2013, only 20 Barn Owls were ringed in May and 183 were ringed in June. This year to date, we have received the details of 428 Barn Owls ringed in May and 1,814 ringed in June!

Adult Barn Owl (photograph by Ruth Walker)

The following stories have been sent to us by some of our Barn Owl ringers and nest recorders:

Chris Griffiths of the Montgomeryshire Barn Owl Groups writes:

Our record year was in 2005 when we had 73 pairs producing 249 pulli. Following the two hard winters of 2010 and 2011, then deep snow in March 2013, we slumped last year to 14 breeding pairs producing 49 pulli. This year Montgomeryshire had 37 pairs producing 149 pulli. Interestingly a third of this year’s birds have been recorded at “new sites”, either newly erected boxes, or boxes that have been up a while but have never been used. Many of the “traditional” sites remain empty. For the first time since I have been involved with MBOG, thanks to ringing, I can confirm that we have also had a few second broods this year.

One unusual instance this season was that I found a ringed female bird in a box with four young on 12/6/14. This female was ringed by me in 2013 and counting back she must have started breeding at eight months of age.  On 21/7/14 I found her again 4.4 km away on a second brood of six eggs and one freshly hatched chick. A quick chat with Colin Shawyer revealed she must have left her first brood nine days after I had ringed that clutch. Apparently, this is not unusual but the distance of 4.4 km is! She almost certainly took up with another male, probably on the edge of his “territory” and left the first male to bring up the kids alone (this is something BOCN were beginning to suspect at a number of sites in years where double brooding occurs).  The good news is that the first brood of four and the second brood (which had dwindled to five when I ringed them) all fledged successfully. On returning to the first site at the end of August, we found “superdad” (who was caught and ringed in a nearby box earlier in the season) in the box with another male that I had ringed as a pulli last year 11 km away.

Barn Owl chick (photograph by Ruth Walker)

Alan Ball writes:

Barn Owls have done exceptionally well in Lincolnshire this year. Bob Sheppard and I have monitored nearly 400 nesting attempts from at least 340 pairs and have ringed over 1,200 chicks. We have not rechecked every site, so will have missed many second broods as probably around a third will have attempted to breed again. Now, in mid-October, some of the late second broods are struggling as weather and food availability has an effect, but we are still finding a few healthy broods. Of particular note this year was one fen just south of Bourne, which had six pairs, raising four broods of seven and two of five. It's amazing that one fen of approximately eight square kilometres could furnish enough food for 12 adults and 38 young. Prey encountered in nest-boxes suggests that there has been an abundance of field mice as well as voles this year.

As well as Barn Owls, other species have taken advantage of the abundance of prey and Bob and I have also ringed 449 Kestrel chicks out of 150 pairs monitored, 188 Little Owl chicks from 80 pairs and 120 Tawny Owl chicks. I am now part-way through the daunting task of completing all the Nest Record Cards to record the 2,500 birds of prey handled this year.

Peter Wilkinson sent us this wonderful photograph (taken by Chris Chatfield) of five Barn Owl chicks sitting on their box. 

Geoff & Jean Sheppard, who carry out a RAS project on Barn Owls, write:

Our study area is in the SW corner of Scotland where we monitor about 80 sites, the majority of which have a nest box. Although there was not a large increase in occupied sites, few had single birds and most were successful with notably larger brood sizes. The number of pulli ringed almost doubled but the number is still well below the usual 150+ achieved in the previous decade. For the first time in many years, a pair at one site had two broods, a six and a four. Interestingly, in certain areas, many sites remained unoccupied suggesting that vole numbers had not increased uniformly and this may be due to the fragmented habitat in the study area. This year, in three occupied sites the pulli failed to survive due to death of one or both adults. In one case, this was due to Jackdaws completely blocking the nest box entrance and trapping the female with her chicks at the back. On a lighter note, a pair in a derelict cottage forsook their usual loft space and raised their brood on the corner of an old bunk bed!

Colin Shawyer writes:

Perhaps my most well studied Species Recovery Areas is that in the Peterborough District. This work was initiated in the early 1990s and, as a result of concerted conservation effort, has seen an increase in the breeding population from six breeding pairs in 1992 to 60 pairs today. The 80 artificial nest sites which have been installed here, largely on a 1.5 km grid matrix, have been monitored annually during the last 20 years and the study area now represents the highest density of breeding barn owls in the UK. This year has seen 75 of the potential sites available in the study area, occupied by 60 breeding pairs with about 70% of these double brooding. The average first brood size (close to fledging) this year is slightly greater than four with ringed broods of six, seven and occasionally eight at about 50% of sites. Second broods are still being ringed but as is normally the case, although clutch sizes are generally higher than in firsts, brood depletion is almost always greater with some having gone from seven chicks to fledge one, two and three. The average second brood size at ringing is, nevertheless likely to remain above three. At a few sites, fledging success over both broods has exceeded ten!

Is it all over?

Mark Lawrence writes:

We have now reached that part of the season. After the long haul of some incredibly dedicated field work, the time has come when some nest recorders start to wind down. The dawn chorus is now a shadow of its former self and with each passing day there are fewer nests to find. The days of Long-tailed Tit nests in open-mouthed bramble are long gone. The crows' nests lie empty, hidden deep within the leaf canopy of dense trees. Gull chicks are now leaving their nests and some Cuckoos are already in Africa. Our beloved Swifts will soon be leaving our shores and their screaming summer song will be missed.

But it isn't over yet, our team is still getting out there and we continue to nest record. We still have some exciting nesting ahead. We still have the second brood of Reed Warblers to find, we have a Sedge Warbler that should be hatching soon. Tree Pipit, Whinchat, Lesser Redpoll and Stonechat are up on the moors feeding young in the nest. And even better, Mark Penney made a visit last Saturday (19th) and found a new Meadow Pipit with eggs! At our coastal location we have Wren and Yellowhammer on eggs and armed with our Schedule 1 licence, we are right in the middle of conducting an exciting breeding study on the Cirl Bunting. So far we have found 10 nests; six of these have fledged, one brood that I ringed last week just needs one more visit to the nest to record its outcome and we have two still on eggs. These are second brood nests from previously found pairs and one that is building. We have by no means finished yet. We have a trip planned next week for a second brood of Nightjar that could take us well into August.

Cirl Bunting nest and adult male (Josh Marshall)

Locating nests at this time of year can be more difficult and more challenging than earlier in the year when the vegetation is less dense, but the additional effort will add valuable data on late nesting species and timing of events to the Nest Record Scheme database. We may be coming to the end of the nesting season as we reach high summer once again, and our fast awakening autumn yawns its vibrant colours, but there are still many key species to monitor.

I was watching a young Robin just the other day, and I could see its adult plumage beginning to show through. Christmas came to mind, a stark reminder that the winter will soon be upon us and we will long for the nesting season once again. But then I think and smile, it is still the nesting season, and I will enjoy what's left... before the dark winter nights drop on us once again.

The Peregrine Project in Aylesbury

Following the theme in our previous post we'd like to share some good news from Buckinghamshire. 


Dave Short writes:
In mid-2007 we noticed that a young pair of Peregrine had taken up residence in the middle of town, 200ft up on a Bucks County Council office building. Bill Robson and myself, who at the time were volunteering for Aylesbury Vale District Council Barn Owl Project, approached Bucks council about placing a nesting platform on the building. The two councils worked together and a platform was duly erected in spring 2008, although sadly no birds bred that year.


In both 2009 & 2010 two birds were seen together, but no evidence of breeding was seen and the platform remained vacant. Then, in 2011 things began to look more promising. In late spring, two Peregrines were seen copulating and an egg was laid on the platform, though sadly it didn't hatch. 


With high hopes for 2012, we decided to put two web cameras on and around the platform in order to get closer to the action, and an anonymous donor kindly paid for their purchase and installation. Sure enough, the Peregrines bred this spring, and we now have two chicks age 3 days and 2 days--the first confirmed Peregrine breeding record for Buckinghamshire! If all goes well, we will be colour ringing the chicks in due course.




To keep up to date with what's going on in the the first ever Aylesbury Peregrine nest all you need to do is follow the Aylesbury Vale Channel on You Tube here.
Here is their latest video from 2 days ago. Enjoy.


To read more stories about Peregrines in the Demog Blog go here!

Bird-brained

People often mention how amazing it is that, as soon as they leave the nests, birds seem to know exactly what they're doing. They can fly--many migrating long distances within a few months of hatching--and most are capable of finding their own food within a matter of days, unlike useless humans.

So, it's refreshing to know that sometimes, even birds can get it wrong. The BTO's Nest Record Scheme has received two reports this spring of birds that get an A for effort, but an F- for design, when it comes to building their nests.

Within days of nest recorder Graham Uney putting up a sparrow terrace, consisting of three nesting compartments in a row, a pair of Great Tits started building inside. Unfortunately, this particular pair couldn't seem to make their mind up which was the most desirable chamber and ended up building nests in all three, laying two eggs in two of them and a single egg in the third. Even if the male lends a hand during incubation, a degree of chivalry previously unheard of in the Great Tit world, they're still going to need to find a baby-sitter.

What number was it again? At least this episode confirms that Great Tits can't count either...

Not to be outdone, a Long-tailed Tit pair monitored by Jim Hodson spent a good few weeks constructing their intricately woven nest using moss, lichen and spider webs, but failed to spot a minor flaw in their design - they forgot to put a hole in it! Cue a hasty reconstruction job six inches away, using the old nesting material.


A Long-tailed Tit nest is a distinctive dome with, usually, a hole near the top (left in this picture).

We're just as interested to hear about birds getting it right, so if you've found a nest that you can see into to monitor, please contact us at nrs@bto.org for a free Starter Pack, or send us the details on-line at www.bto.org/nbc

Dr Dave Leech
Head of the Nest Record Scheme

Tawny Owl video diary

Over the coming weeks the BTO will be following the exploits of a pair of Tawny Owls using a nest box in Cambridgeshire via webcam. The birds have been in the box since early winter, with the first egg laid on 28 February! You can follow the Tawny Owl video diary on the BTO website.

This clip (from just before midnight on 1 March) shows the male bringing food to the incubating female. Other clips now online show the first and second eggs and even the original mating (over 18s only)...

We will update the progress of these birds during the coming weeks, and keep an eye out for some amazing footage of their previous interactions with other species...

We'd like to hear of other early nesting attempts, so do get in touch. Recording of nests is of immense value (even common species), so why not think about contributing to the BTO's Nest Record Scheme? It's easy and even better free!

Easter eggs in Wymondham

It seems appropriate to mention eggs at Easter... Not the Smarties egg I got this morning, but some equally close to home. I'm not the world's best nest finder, but even a quick afternoon walk found a Blackbird on one egg and a sitting Woodpigeon to join the two thrushes found last week. I'd hoped we could follow these thrush nests through the season, but sadly one has already been predated - a Song Thrush in fields beside the house. This was in a long Hawthorn hedge, and the key to finding the nest was to find the only bit of Ivy within the hedge.

The female was sat on four eggs a couple of days ago, but as I went to take some habitat photos this afternoon I noticed she wasn't sitting, and found the nest was empty. Note how this nest has only a simple mud lining, which is typical of Song Thrush - Blackbirds have a much grassier lining in their nests.







Our garden Blackbird will hopefully fare better, and is currently also sitting on four eggs. This is in a far more sensible location, tucked in the side of a thick and rather spikey conifer.

Recording the progress and fate of nests is an important monitoring tool, and the BTO's Nest Record Scheme has been doing just that for decades. Nest recording really can be as simple as keeping half an eye on the birds in your garden, so do think about getting involved. Get in touch via the web for more details on getting involved.