2016 Starling Season Begins!

Last year the bird box on the side of my house was used by a pair of Starlings, and they managed to raise 5 healthy chicks (click on posts called Starling Nest 2015 for details). The birds have been back again over the winter period, singing around the box, and today, when I went out of the back door, I noticed some dry grasses on the doorstep. I decided to take a quick look in the box, and this is what I saw....

2016 nest started

As you can hopefully see, the birds have started a new nest- hurrah!!! 

Looking back at the records for 2015, the first signs of a nest were built in March (see post here). Perhaps they've built a bit earlier this year because of the mild winter? Anyway, whatever happens, I'll keep an eye on the box, record the details for the BTO's Nest Box Challenge, and hopefully, ring any chicks that the birds produce.

Starling Resighting

A couple of weeks ago I ringed a brood of 5 Starlings that had been raised in the box on the side of my house (see here). The birds fledged from the nest on 20th May (see here), and, although the garden has been full of Starlings every day, including 16 juveniles yesterday, I'd not seen any of the ringed birds.... until today.

Juvenile Starling

Whilst watching the garden for the BTO's Garden Birdwatch this morning I spotted one and then a second ringed bird. Now the chance of the birds having been ringed elsewhere was pretty slim, (I've never seen a ringed bird in my garden despite watching it every week since 1995!), but I still needed to get some proof that these were in fact "my" birds, so out came the camera.

After roughly an hour, and a lot of frustration, I managed to get photos of both birds' rings, giving me enough of the ring numbers to see that I did in fact have two of the birds ringed in the box, numbers LE57022 and LE57024. Here are a couple of the best pictures showing the last 2 digits of the rings.

Ring number LE57022

Ring number LE57024

All Gone!

I've been listening to the Starling box all week for the moment that everything goes quiet.. and today was that day.

I checked yesterday and got this photograph. You can just about make out 5 fully feathered young birds.

Starlings- ready to fledge

When I got in today I couldn't hear any noise coming from the box , so I checked again and here's what I found - an empty box. Hurrah!!

Empty nest

I saw 3 juvenile Starlings in the garden this morning, feeding on the mealworms that I put out at this time of year. None of these birds were ringed, but now that I know "my" birds have fledged I'll be looking out for them in the morning. Hopefully I'll get some photos for the blog. I'll add this final record to the BTO's Nestbox Challenge website, and, if I'm very lucky, I'll start a new one when the adult birds start a new nest!

Starlings Ringed

After watching the Starlings in the nest box on the side of my house grow and prosper over the last few weeks, tonight I got some C rings from my trainer, Ray, and ringed 5 very healthy looking chicks. Here are a few photos.

Just before ringing

Young Starling

Developing feathers

Looking at how far developed the feathers were, I don't think it'll be too long before these birds fledge. Hopefully the adults will start again, and we'll have another brood to bolster numbers of this super bird.

I'll update the BTO's Nestbox Challenge website with details of today's ringing. 

Starling Nest Update

A week ago I posted an update about the Starling nest in the box on my house (see here). The adults have been working very hard all week, and, despite some pretty awful, heavy showers, when I checked in the box this afternoon, this is what I found.... 5 very healthy looking chicks!!

Starling chicks

Looking at the size of these chicks, I should be able to ring them this week, and I'll also add the information to the BTO's Nestbox Challenge website.

Starling Update

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about a pair of Starlings that have built a nest in a nestbox on the side of my house (see here). At the time, I wrote that the birds had just started to incubate a clutch of eggs, and speculated that the chicks would hatch sometime around about now! Well, on Thursday evening I got home from work and could hear noise coming from the nestbox. I had a quick look in this evening and got this picture.

                                                                      Starling chicks

If you click on the photo you should be able to count 5 yellow mouths or gapes, which the young birds use to encourage their parents to feed them. I've been providing mealworms fpr them, so hopefully this will give the chicks abit of a headstart.

Unfortunately, the weather has taken a turn for the worse this afternoon, and started to rain. The rain is forecast to continue through the night and into the morning, so I'm keeping everything crossed that the parents can do a good job at keeping them warm and dry tonight.

As always, I'll add this development to the BTO's Nestboxes Challenge website.

Incubation's begun!

I had a quick check in the Starling nest box on the side of my house this evening and this is what I found.

Incubating Starling

According to my nest recording book (see here- well worth getting a copy), the eggs are laid daily. I had 2 eggs on the 14th, so if she's laid 4 eggs, as she did last year, the full clutch should have been finished today. Apparently incubating begins with the penultimate egg i.e. yesterday's, and with he bird sitting tight on the nest, this seems to be a good indication that incubation has begun. My check only lasted 30 seconds, and as incubation usually lasts about 12 days (range of 11 - 15 days) days, I'll leave well alone now until the chicks have hatched. Hopefully there will be four healthy chicks by the end of the month!.

As always, this observation has been entered into the BTO's Nestbox Challenge Survey.

Starling Nest 2015- First eggs!

I've had a "Starling nestbox" on the side of my house since 2010. In the first year, it was used Great Tits who managed to raise a brood of six. It wasn't used in 2011 or 2013, and 2 failed nesting attempts took place in 2012. 2014 was the most successful year so far with 4 young raised to fledging, and this year will hopefully see another good season.

The first signs of nesting began on 8th March, when this photograph was taken (sorry about the lens cap!) As you can hopefully see, the "nest" at this time is just a few pieces of grass.

8th March 2015

 

By the time this second picture was taken some 2 weeks later there is a much more recognisable cup shape appearing.

22nd March 2015

 

The third picture shows a well developed nest and the final picture, taken this evening, shows the first 2 eggs of the 2015 season.

 

8th April 2015

14th April 2015

 

The average brood size is between 2-5 eggs, with each new egg laid daily, so I'll check back at the weekend to see how the clutch has developed.

 

As in previous year's I'll be monitoring the nest for the BTO's Nestbox Challenge, and, if the young survive, I'll ring this chicks as I did last year (see post here).