Family Planning
May 18, 2009
Latest Feeder movie
Since I last reported it’s been difficult to monitor properly the situation with my local wildlife due to equipment failure. As far as I can tell I think the Robin pair’s chicks have hatched, but that’s just a guess, based on a few clues.
I’ve not seen much of the female, plus a smashed bird eggshell on the feeder about 10 days ago. It maybe the case that she’s gone off to lay the rest, incubated and now they’ve hatched, but I’m not sure. I saw them both at the feeder about four days ago.
It’s all a little too tight for all that to happen, can’t say the egg was a Robin’s egg for sure. But this is nature, odd things happen all the time.
The Blue tit’s haven’t produced eggs yet, but I know for definite that they are expecting. I witnessed them conceiving, on the feeder roof. As I’m writing this cooincidently I can see from my window that a pair of Blackbirds are mating on the roof of a neighbouring back garden shed.
The three young Starlings now deemed capable by the parent of survival without her have now learnt it seems to be less reckless around the feeder, and have learnt to wait their turn when other species are feeding I.e. the Robins and the Blue tits.
But it appears the three Starlings are still taking the majority of Mealworm and more often than the Robins. My point being less food for the Robins rearing young.
I think they’ve also put the expectant Blue tit’s off visiting as often.
I have a bit of a dilemma, the three Starlings are a bit troublesome, and could turn out to be more of a threat in weeks to come, but at the moment they are more Huey, Dewey, and Louie than the Wind in the Willows Weasels.
endnote
I fear this could be the end of my filming and photography for a long time, the repair cost to my broken camera far out way my budget, which is desperately needed for a lot of other items. I have to prioritise, but hopefully somewhere down the road it will all come together and I can come back stronger with better equipment and the whole world to photograph… that’s my dream.
