An interesting though sad tale

Waveney One · #1 (**permalink**) 13-05-2009, 11:47 AM

My wife and I thought it would be nice to supplement the tit boxes with one for woodpeckers and a couple for treecreepers. To cut a long story short, the greater spotted woodpecker loved the woodpecker box - for drumming!! It made a brilliant soundbox and the sound of him drumming filled the garden every spring for a 3 or 4 years. As a nest site - forget it, they preferred a hole in an old apple tree in the corner of the garden and raised a brood every year. The tits took over the boxes designed for the woodpeckers and the treecreepers. This year was no exception and we had a family of great tits in the woodpecker box. Yesterday a jay broke through the top of the box and raided it.

Presumably the drumming had weakened the lid of the box to a large extent as the jay seemed to have no trouble breaking in at all. Sad but that is the rule of nature I suppose. The tits were going berserk but were no match for the jay. In fact it wasn't really until the jay had left that they really got worked up but by then it was too late. I suppose if I hadn't seen it, then I would have blamed the grey squirrels.

feathered-friend · #2 (**permalink**) 13-05-2009, 12:41 PM

It is not a nice site to see a nest being raided! But thats nature.

I saw a jay raiding a chaffinches nest that was situated just outside our back window.

Unfortunately the jay is still about, I have seen several blackbirds chasing it away.

We also have a great tit family in a box with 4 babies nearly 2 weeks old,

I watch it frequently for signs of predators but it cant be watched all the time, hopefully it is strong enough to keep them out.

Madelinew · #3 (**permalink**) 13-05-2009, 01:23 PM

I expect the jay has babies feed too inthe same way that lions predate on other beasties on the plains of Africa. It is a shame when a nest is raided but part of the circle of life. One of my greatest birding moments was watching some marsh harriers raiding terns nests a Hickling Broad in Norfolk. The terns were bravely trying to see off the raiders and watching the acrobatics of the harriers as they flipped over to show their talons to the parent birds was amazing as well as seeing them dive in for their prey. Beat watching the Red Arrows any day