Starlings have gone

Last Thursday morning (30th June) I heard the  young Starlings in the nestbox on the side of my house. When I got home from work in the evening it was all quiet, so I had a look in and saw that the box was empty.

Empty box

As you can see, all 3 of the chicks have managed to fledge, taking this year's total to 8, the highest number in one year, and the first time this box has been used twice on the same season. I haven't seen any of the birds from either nesting attempt in the garden yet.

The details have been added to the BTO's Nestbox Challenge.

Starling Update

I haven't blogged about the Starling nest on my house for a couple of weeks now, so I thought it was about time for an update.

My last post was on 8th June when the chicks had just hatched. I've enjoyed listening to the chicks being fed every day and  checked the nest this evening. This is what I found.... 3 chicks.

Starling chicks

As you can see, the chicks were looking very fit and healthy, and have grown a lot since the start of June. I ringed the birds, and updated the details on the BTO's Nestbox Challenge website. Hopefully I'll see them in the garden soon.

Starling Nest Update

The Starling nestbox on my house has been used for a second time this year, and when I came home this evening I could hear something, so I had a quick look and saw.... 3 new chicks!

3 chicks (I think)

I say 3 chicks. I can definitely see 2 gapes and I'm pretty sure there's a third body underneath the other 2. Anyway, there were definitely 3 eggs on 26th May when this photo was taken.

26th May 2016

These new arrivals will be added to the BTO's Nestbox Challenge website, and further developments will be  added to the blog.

Starling box - a second brood!!

According to the books, Starlings can sometimes have 2 broods in a year. So far, the box on the side of my house has only ever produced 1 brood a year, but not any longer.

Shortly after the 1st brood fledged, the same , or another, new male Starling was back around the box singing and attempting to attract a female. He didn't seem to be having any luck, despite having built the foundations for a new nest. Here's what the box looked like on 21st May.

A new nest - 21st May 2016

Undeterred, he carried on singing and defending the box. Today, when I got back from work, I saw a female bird sticking her head out of the box. She flew out, so I ran upstairs to check what was happening, and this is what I saw.... a new egg!!

First egg - 24th May

As you can see, the nest has been built up since the 21st, and a new brood has begun. I'll check back in a few days time, and begin another record  for the BTO's Nestbox Challenge.

Starlings are gone

Earlier in the week I noticed that the Starling nest box was quieter than usual. I had a quick look in yesterday and got this photo.

7th May 2016

This was the sight on 7th May. As you can see, all 5 of the chicks were fully feathered and looking ready to go. I had another look on 11th, and found that 2 birds had fledged.

11th May 2016

When I got home tonight it was very quiet, and when I looked in the box I found this... an empty box!

12th May 2016

This is always a great sight, because it means all 5 of the chicks have fledged successfully. I haven't seen any of this year's birds in the garden yet, but hopefully I'll manage to see them over the next few days and weeks.

The details of this breeding success will now be added to the BTO's Nestbox Challenge website, and I'll let our data manager know that the ringed birds have fledged, just in case they  get reported elsewhere.

Starlings ringed

When I got back from Scotland yesterday I could hear that the Starling chicks in the nestbox on the side of my house were in very good voice. I had a quick check, and realised that they were ready to be ringed. I got the rings from Ray, and ringed all 5 this evening.

Starling pullus

As always, the ring numbers will be registered with the BTO, so if, and hopefully when, the birds fledge and are re sighted we will be able to follow their progress. Details will also be added to the BTO's Nestbox Record Scheme.

5 eggs and..... 5 chicks

It's been exactly 2 weeks since I last blogged about the Starling nest in the box on the side of my house. Since then there have been a few developments, as the  title of today's blog suggests.

First up, is a picture taken on 12th April. As you can see, there were 5 eggs in the nest.

12th April - 5 eggs

When I saw the 5 eggs I knew it was time for incubation to begin, so I left the nest until today. I decided to check again this afternoon after I noticed one of the adult birds leaving the nest. I had a quick check and found this... 5 chicks!

24th April - 5 chicks

This year's birds have nested approximately a week earlier than they did in 2015, with the chicks hatching on 30th April (see blog posts entitled Starling Nest 2015 for details), so, if all goes well, and the chicks prosper, they should be ready to fledge in about 3 weeks time ( 15th May).

I'll enter the new details into the BTO's Nestbox Challenge website, and, as in the previous 2 years, I'll ring the chicks before they fledge so that we can hopefully see where they end up.

Egg number 4

As I drove onto the drive this afternoon I saw 2 Starlings come out of the nest box on the side of the house. Knowing they'd be gone for a minute or two, I grabbed the camera and took a quick picture. Here's what I saw..... egg number 4!

Starling nest with 4 eggs

According to the literature, Starlings start to incubate properly on the penultimate egg, so, if this pair have 5 eggs as they did last year (click on Starling Nest 2015 labels for details), they should start incubation today. I'll leave well alone now and listen out for the calls of the young birds in a couple of weeks. Details, as always, have been added to the BTO's Nestbox Challenge website.

Starling Nest 2016 - First Egg

I just had a quick (20 second) check in the Starling nestbox on the side of my house to see what, if anything, was happening with this year's nest, and guess what..... yes, the first egg of 2016!

First egg of 2016

Compared to last year, this year's nest is approximately 1 week earlier, so, if everything goes to plan, and the birds manage to lay another clutch of  5, there should be chicks by the end of April (compared to 2nd May in 2015).

I'll put the details into the BTO's Nestbox Challenge website, and keep the blog updated with the developments.

Starling Nest Update

The Starlings that are nest building in the box on the side of my house have been busy again over the last week. I had a check in the box today and this is what I saw.

Starling box.

As you can see, the nest is starting to take form, so hopefully, it'll be completed soon, and we'll get some eggs. The details of this nesting attempt will now be added to the BTO's Nest Box Challenge.

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.