A bird box can be a dangerous place... photos from Saturday morning after the Blue Tits have been setting up home for about a week:
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-atlM8zeCiKk/T3hAsoDwz3I/AAAAAAAAAmI/3Ff4TxyidZs/s200/2012-03-31-073634-00.jpg) | ![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s5pOCr8RZSU/T3hAxGU-sFI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/XScQjYqKelE/s200/2012-03-31-073636-00.jpg) | ![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g042UpVy5Zw/T3hAzfb1f9I/AAAAAAAAAmY/hAgEXNdLgpw/s200/2012-03-31-073637-01.jpg) |
Is breakfast ready? | A nice sharp beak | Open wide! |
This was the morning before I fitted a narrow metal entrance plate to protect the Blue Tit's nest. The blue tits continued bringing moss to their nest, these are from Friday:
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HlUiIC0EK6g/T3hECyfv5GI/AAAAAAAAAmg/-Ul8AQVGUks/s200/2012-03-31-081556-01.jpg) | ![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SP0iHNaH_g/T3hE7zStRVI/AAAAAAAAAm4/ur9P8zpJWnM/s200/2012-03-31-081557-00.jpg) | ![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ezqz61gZ0go/T3hEh7YPzcI/AAAAAAAAAmo/c2965xNz9ag/s200/2012-03-31-114211-01.jpg) |
More nest material | Get in there! | Off again... |
There are lots of cute action shots!
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-foDJT1CpIrA/T3hEsDKJWTI/AAAAAAAAAmw/p4ncb_2DqbE/s200/2012-03-31-115933-00.jpg) | ![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fVzm-zum3K8/T3hFxgYlUnI/AAAAAAAAAnA/2E6HKitPQ5g/s200/2012-03-30-120431-01.jpg) | ![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cHz5hROKq4I/T3hGFckJQPI/AAAAAAAAAnI/jYiDi9ye4tU/s200/2012-03-30-122805-00.jpg) |
Blue tit posing | Leaping out & up | Dropping out |
More moss on Saturday:
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F4Gyisw241o/T3hKqP0qabI/AAAAAAAAAnY/kJ21UBH7F8Q/s200/2012-03-31-144058-01.jpg) | ![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1gxxMktUDK0/T3hJhLoSkbI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/ac2B9rnU0d0/s200/2012-03-31-144123-01.jpg) | ![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QTgkBl1h0Yg/T3hLLaOHCMI/AAAAAAAAAng/cQZwGFPVXus/s200/2012-03-31-144220-00.jpg) |
More for the nest | And more... | Off again |
But then, just before 5pm, an invasion began! Sound would have been great...
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hhv67tDpf0s/T3hLsWlhQCI/AAAAAAAAAno/iQ7DDLJ_ksM/s200/2012-03-31-144657-01.jpg) | ![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UqZbcRiPnxY/T3hNhAdWOqI/AAAAAAAAAoI/Ud-3p0NesVs/s200/2012-03-31-145530-01.jpg) | ![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2cQbO80qqhY/T3hOBMxktyI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/uKpITlnpQhs/s200/2012-03-31-165206-00.jpg) |
Incoming rival | Or two. | Looks like a tree sparrow |
The blue tits got their nest back quickly that time, but the sparrows returned and one stood guard:
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--azv-cVerAI/T3hPEXDlgJI/AAAAAAAAAoY/xeeFOHmpDsw/s200/2012-03-31-165820-00.jpg) | ![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--vsNGwQeHQw/T3hPcmHe6YI/AAAAAAAAAoo/xBmapBOAB0w/s200/2012-03-31-165839-00.jpg) | ![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2UrusutJtbI/T3hPdSQdPwI/AAAAAAAAAos/Rm_M5s9uSi4/s200/2012-03-31-165840-01.jpg) |
Comfy. | Blue tit returns... | Surprise! |
The sparrow(s) continued to hold the nest undisputed for about an hour, perhaps occupying it in shifts. The Blue Tits did dispute this, but the occupying sparrow left at 6:30, just before the male woodpecker returned:
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wSp6vyiMeG0/T3hVw6irY2I/AAAAAAAAApA/64MfzE7ZFpQ/s200/2012-03-31-183441-01-Woody.jpg) | ![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xXnvPZ7PhpM/T3hVxj1RXTI/AAAAAAAAApE/CeAvmbTvbYs/s200/2012-03-31-183443-01-Woody.jpg) | ![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cz0IZgX9KsQ/T3hVyDU49dI/AAAAAAAAApM/dYQR_MsGOVI/s200/2012-03-31-183444-00-Woody.jpg) |
Male Greater Spotted Woodpecker |
The dispute continued after the wood pecker left, with a sparrow in occupation until I arrived to fit a 25mm face plate (primarily to deter the
wood peckers seen earlier in the week), which scared it off.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MoBmXGUujMQ/T3hWj26j5YI/AAAAAAAAApY/bLmv6sZPR2Q/s320/2012-03-31-194226-01-Fitting-Plate.jpg) |
Fitting nest box face plate |
That should block the wood peckers and the sparrows, I just hope the Blue Tits are not put off. I've enjoyed going through the day's action which was recorded by
Motion, working out what happened - but it does generate thousands of shots!
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