Diary of BirdBoxCam, June 2004

16.6.2004

The parents took good care of the last chick in the blue tit nest.

The chick fledged today at 5:01 pm.

Indoor camera:

Video: 040616_poikanen_lahtee_pesasta_2-P4.avi - 2 min 11 sec - 1148 kb

Outdoor camera:

Video: 040616_poikanen_lahtee_pesasta_P4.WMV - 55 sec - 578 kb

The third video is the same outdoor video bbut slower.

Video: 040616_poikanen_lahtee_pesasta_P4.avi - 1min 03 sec - 764 kb

We don't know anything of the beginning of this nesting, but only one chick survived. Blue tits usually have quite a lot of eggs, even more than ten.

A lot af young fieldfares was jumping and flying around in the forest nearby.

And here is a young woodpecker peeping out from the nest!

Click the images to see a larger version.

13.6.2004

The blue tit chick is doing fine! It should be ready to fly the nest any time now.

Two parents is well enough to one single chick. Here on a video both the mother and father is taking care of they baby:

Video: 040613_molemmat_vanhemmat_kay_P4.avi - 55 sec - 578 kb

The parents brought new nest material into the box. Maybe they don't have enough works to do with only one chick so they are already planning another nesting.

The woodpecker was again here. Here pictures taken by the outdoor camera. The difference in size of these birds are clearly seen.

The blue tit is defending the nest in the same way than the great tit did.

Video: 040613_tikka_kay_pontolla_P4.avi - 1 min 31 sek - 646 kt

Also the woodpecker chick has grown. They have a very loud sound. In this video you can see the woodpecker bringing food to it's chicks. Also the sound of the chicks can be heared.

Video: 040613_tikan_pesa_256.WMV - 28 sec - 811 kb

Click this images and you can see a larger versions of them.

12.6.2004

It seems that only one blue tit chick is left. It looks healthy and strong.

The outdoor camera opens totally new visions to the box, as seen in these pictures.

The same on video: 040612_1530_sisa_ulko_P3.avi - 11 sec - 1196 kb

Some times (usually not) there are some positive influences of wrong setups of a software. An automatic videocapture of the webcam software was active just by a mistace. These pictures was captured before the camere was moved to the blue tit nest. This box is empty:

This visit of the woodpecker was also captured to a video-file, just by accindent!

Video: 040607_tikka_ulkokuva_P4.avi - 13 sec - 630 kb

Also many visits of a pied flycatcher was captured. This is one of the best:

Video: 040604_kirjosieppo_ulko_P4.avi - 33 sec - 2020 kb

10.6.2004

The camera from box 4 was moved to this box...

...with a nesting blue tit.

The box is the same wich had a visit of the woodpecker three days ago.

The camera is made so that it is easy to install. It is sitting on the roof, so only the roof has to be changed to install the camera. It can be done within 30 secons and it is not disturbing the birds too much.

Translation will be made asap.

9.6.2004

The last chick did not survive, it died in the morning. The female left the nest for the last time at 3:39 am. The chick was still moving o little, but the female already knew what was going to happend, so she just left the chick there alone.

Video: 040609_klaara_jattaa_pesan_P3.avi - 20 sec - 110 kb

No one visited the box any more. No one but bugs! They started to do they job:

Video: 040609_otokat_P3.avi - 14 sec - 246 kb

The box was cleaned in the evening..

The nest cup was still quite deep after all chicks jumping aroud the nest.

There were four dead chicks in the nest. Two of them was still in quite good condition, so I decided to send them to EELA, the National Veterinary and Food Research Institute of Finland. They carries out diagnostics for dead wild animals. Every citizen in Finland have the rights to send dead animals there for research. The results usually arrives within a few month.

The box is now waiting for a new nesting.

8.6.2004

Two chick fledged today morning at 6:49 am. Here still every one at home.

Video: 040608_ensimmainen_poikanen_lahtee_P3.avi - 1 min 3 sec - 726 kb

Video: 040608_0648_1-poikanen_lahtee_P3_256.WMV - 10 sec - 305 kb

The first fly was excelent, and the chick landed within a couples of meters from the box.

Click the picture to get it bigger.

So the chicks are ready to fly from the first time they leave the nest.

Three left.

And then the woodpecker again! Listen to the great tit female!

Video: 040608_1216_tikka_kay_pontolla_P3_256.WMV - 11 sec - 322 kb

The other chick fledged at 2:30 pm. It flew even better than the first one.

Video: 040608_toinen_poikanen_lahtee_P3.avi - 5 min 28 sec - 2640 kb

On the video from the out door camera you can see also the father great tit.

Video: 040608_1428_2-poikanen_lahtee_P3_256.WMV - 18 sec - 356 kb

The other of two chicks still in the nest died during the evening.

The last one was still fed normally and the female spend the night with it.

7.6.2004

One chick died again. Four left and two of them is bigger than the other two.

Sometimes the food comes inside without doing anything:

Video: 040607_ruoka_kavelee_sisaan_P3.avi - 2 min 9 sec - 556 kb

A chikc looking out from the box but mother said, "go back inside".

Video: 040607_emo_ojentaa_poikasta_P3.avi - 39 sec - 456 kb

One of the bigger chicks looks to be ready to fly. Her it jumps to the roof of the box.

Video: 040607_poikanen_lentaa_pontossa_P3.avi - 1 min 27 sec - 306 kb

The woodpecker was seen today once. All chicks remains silent at the bottom of the nest and the woodpecker soon left.

.

Video: 040607_tikka_kurkistaa_sisaan_P3.avi - 19 sec - 144 kb

I also found the woodpecker nest nearby in the forest. It is located in a big European aspen just about 200 - 300 meters from here. In the picture to the right there is some flakes produced by the woodpecker as it has dig out the hollow in the tree.

The woodpecker tried also to go into a nest box where a blue tit is nesting. This is how it looks like after just a short time of pecking.

So I went fast to the box and installed a steel plate like this to make it at least more difficult fore the woodpecker to enter the box. The other bluet tit adults was inside the box with the chicks during the installation of the plate.

6.6.2004

Outdoor camera installed. The purpose is to see the fledging of the chicks. Camera is a water resistant model: Tracer TS-6020.

The woodpecker was her again but it did not get any chick today.

Video: 040606_tikka_kurkistaa_sisaan_P3.avi - 1 min 28 sek - 366 kt

The outdoorcamera was also reocording and it did see the woodpecker also. The both great tit were wery angry and they were very brave when defending their nest box.

The sound in the wideo is recorded with the microphone in the box.

Video: 040606_0450_tikka_pontolla_P3_256.WMV - 30 sek - 876 kt

The woodpecker came for the secind time at 8:46 am. This time the female came into the box and was protecting her chicks.

Video: 040606_tikka_kurkistaa_sisaan_klaara_pontossa_P3.avi - 1 min 24 sek - 594 kt

Video: 040606_0843_tikka_pontolla_P3_256.WMV - 50 sek - 1424 kt

And the third wisit of woody.

Video: 040606_1236_tikka_pontolla_P3_256.WMV - 29 sek - 814 kt

In the afternoon one chick died without any visible reason.

5.6.2004

The female still sleeps in the box with all chicks.

The chicks now fullfills the whole box.

Video: 040605_siipien_kokeilua_ruokinta_riehumista_P3_256.WMV - 1 min - 1705 kt

In the evening a woodpecker took one chick of the box. It is nesting somewhere not so far away. Now it was looking for food to it's own chicks. There is now six chicks left.

Video: 040605_tikka_vie_poikasen_P3.avi - 8 sek - 90 kt

The great tit can not count so it is possible that they don't know that one is missing.

The woodpecker came again later in the evening but now it did not get a prey.

Video: 040605_tikka_kurkistaa_sisaan_P3.avi - 8 sek - 108 kt

4.4.2004

The chicks are almost as big as their mum and dad.

Video: 040604_emo_tuo_ruokaa_poikaset_riehuu_P3_256.WMV - 30 sek- 864 kt

Video: 040604_ruokintaa_poikaset_riehuu_P3.avi - 1 min 10 sek- 836 kt

3.6.2004

The diameter of the box is 125 mm. The recommendation of the diameter for the great tit box is from 100 mm to 125. When tou look at this pictures you could ask if 100 mm really is big enough? I doubt about that.

The chicks have ruined the nest cup. All the dog hair is on the other side of the nest box.

Video: 040603_poikasten_ruokintaa_ja_viserrysta_256_P3.wmv - 1 min 31 sek- 2556 kt

2.6.2004

Seven brothers of sisters? Or both.

The chics are looking more and more like small birds than newborn chicks any more.

Video: 040602_poikasten_liikehdintaa_siipien_ojentelua_P3.avi - 1 min 15 sek- 282 kt

They can also jump quite high in the box. And they often do so when they are getting food.

Video: 040602_ruokinta_poikanen_hyppaa_emoa_vastaan_2_videota_P3.avi - 51 sek- 608 kt

Not all food is good. Or what do you think abaut this video?

Video: 040602_pahaa_ruokaa_P3.avi - 2 min 10 sek- 1546 kt

The camera was back on line after the car chrash.