Weather takes its toll

After the euphoria of Tuesday, I'm afraid today saw a very sad sight indeed when all three of the Starling chicks were found dead in the nest box. On examination all the birds were very wet, as was the nest itself. We can only assume that the heavy rain of recent days has got into the box somehow and the birds had become chilled and died.

I removed the dead birds and the outcome of my first ringed Starlings will be reported to the BTO. This is the second attempt the Stralings have made to raise a brood this year. Perhaps they'll try again if the weather improves. I'll let you know.

To cheer things upand end on a happier note, here's a picture of one of the adult Starlings that have been using the garden this year and which will, hopefully, raise its chicks successfully.

Starling