Yesterday morning, I noticed a solitary piece of moss at the foot of the nestbox.
Then Fluffy arrived; Getting caught up with the moss | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Fluffy's Progress....
Yesterday morning, I noticed a solitary piece of moss at the foot of the nestbox.
Then Fluffy arrived; Getting caught up with the moss | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
I think you need to start a thread entitled Fully's progress Catherine..gif "Smile")
I tried to add other pics, but they were all BMP files, and the site doesn't like them. They need to be too small to allow them to be seen properly in that format.
I tried to convert them to jpgs, but wasn't given that option - and I know you don't like links to outside sites for pics...
(Could you please re-title this 'Fluffy's Progress' then, Rolf?)
- Update - have managed to convert them to jpgs with 'Paint'!
This is Fluffy tonight -
Ah very good Catherine, yes BMPs can be misused by hackers, so we don't encourage them.
This was Fluffy a short time ago. She'd brought in a long piece of grass - and just didn't know what to do with it!
uvs110329-002 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Excellent, thanks Catherine.
Wow, she's really getting going. I love to see them cope with an overly long/big bit of stuff... their eyes are often bigger than their beaks
Well things have progressed since then - and today...
I think we'll need to open a bottle of fizzy tonight!
Great news Catherine, let's hope it all goes smoothly.
I watched her yesterday morning. She seemed to shiver slowly - and I was worried about her. 5th April - jerky movements | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Then she tidied up the next around her and took her time in leaving the nestbox. 5th April - tidying nest | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
She showed exactly the same behaviour today - and then the egg appeared!
I don't think she laid one yesterday - though one might possibly be hidden in the moss, grass and hair mattress!
I am really enjoying the pics.
go fluffy go, fingers crossed...
Glad you like them, Joe and Billy!
Have asked Glen to record any other eggs laid over the next few days as I'll be in hospital from tomorrow until Monday - new knee!
I'll get things updated asap when I return though!
you get new knee she gets new kids, which is the better... good luck with it all...
Thanks, Laura! (I'll pass that on to Fluffy too!)
extra seeds and maggots for fluffy.... not for you... lol
Fantastic news, Catherine! Fluffy-ettes
Oh, and good luck with the knee. I know 2 people who've had their knees done and it did wonders for them.
Here we go - yesterday!
Looking good, how many eggs are there Catherine?
Each time I see them, I count a different number - 9, 10, 11, 12, more....?
She has returned twice this morning with moss and feathers to try to cover them up.
It's quite a deep little pot of eggs now!
Well, yesterday was the 15th April, and I know that there was at least one egg there on 6th. However, I have a video of her looking as if she is laying an egg on 5th April (see earlier post), so am not sure when the first egg was laid!
However, just before t-time Fluffy's behaviour changed! - The Shuffle turn | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
She did what I call a 'shuffle-turn' to create a better cup shape for her eggs, tucking them under her neatly as she did so,
Then she decided it was time to go for a snack, so left her eggs uncovered for a short while - Time for a snack | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
I could definitely count 10, though am not 100% sure all her eggs were showing - only time will tell!
Looks like you could hear the patter of tiny feet soon then Catherine.
When she left the box for a short while this morning, I could definitely see 11!
I am sure it must have been hidden before. Now I wonder if there any more under the feathers and fluff!
Well, there's possibly less than a week to go until hatching, but we've only twice seen two birds in the box at one time, and those occasions were too quick to record on camera!
However, this morning round about 7am....
Which left Fluffy (always the one on the lower right before) 'Home alone'!
uvs110423-002 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Bet he went off down to the pub......................................
Crumbs, she's done well with eggs, will keep them busy feeding that lot.
It sounds like they may need a little help - you'll need to get collecting bugs for them
Well, check this out; Green Oak Tortrix Moths - UK Safari
And this tree and moth caterpillar in the garden today...
So I think there should be plenty of food around for Fluffy's family.
(Also included are two pics of Arnie feeding Fluffy - possibly with the same caterpillars, and one of eleven real Easter Sunday Eggs!)
Some more great shots Catherine, can't wait for them to start hatching.
It's so exciting - and I love the way that nature all fits together!
Yes, clever little birds. our two!
It's now Easter Monday, and guess what Arnie brought Fluffy for 'breakfast in bed'?
Breakfast - Easter Monday | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Yeee-uck!
Mmmmmm, juicy grub for breakfast.
Yummy I love grubs for breakfast!!!!
Then this one's for you two as well! (I think there's a bit more protein in it this time...)
26th April - breakfast again - a nice, fat, green Tortrix Moth caterpillar this time! | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
(Now left wondering what the Wellenkamps usually have for breakfast..., being more of a 'tea and toast' person myself!
That is a nice juicy one.
I wonder if he always passes on the juicy ones or if he sometimes keeps the good ones for himself
Well, he arrived to an empty nestbox yesterday. Well, empty of Fluffy anyway!
I don't know if he ate it or found her elsewhere to pass it on, but he didn't eat it immediately at least!
Well, the 29th April was a very special day for more than Wills and Kate!!
Just after midnight, Fluffy was sleeping in the nestbox, twitching and turning now and again, giving a shoogle, then a shuffle, but that was all.
A couple of hours later (leg sore), I went over to the computer to take my mind off it, then decided to have another look at the nestbox before I went back to sleep.
What a surprise! Littering the edge of the nest were lots of bits of eggshell which Fluffy was in the process of eating (if she could hold on to them!) - Eating the eggshells | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
and inside it were 6, 7, or even maybe even 8 baby birds!
Arnie came back to help tidy up afterwards, taking an eggshell away.
Dad pays a visit - and takes away an eggshell... | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Excellent Catherine, certainly a few mouths to feed now.
They've all hatched now - no unhatched eggs in sight anyway!
Difficult to count the little bodies as they wriggle so much and don't all open their mouths at once!
Most years I'd be too busy to watch all of this, but after my 'new knee' op., and not sleeping well, it is a great distraction when I wake during the night! I'm able to see Fluffy and Arnie outside now too, so will try to get a few pics of them in daylight. They fly up into the Oak for caterpillars for their young, then search around the garden seats for ants. They also seem to help themselves to sunflower seeds and fatballs, but I suspect that's just for themselves. Arnie is a good dad - brings lots of food in and takes away their 'poo sacks'!
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