should i be able to hear blue tit chicks?

[jarjar]

i think the adults have been going in with catipillars between a week and 2 weeks there in quite frequently and seem healthy but i cant hear the chicks. cant open the box eitha as the tops covered in ivy atm. should i be able to hear them? and when should they be fledging?

[rossy]

welcome jarjar, whatever you do do not go near the nest box, if there is chicks in the nest you will hear them pretty soon as they grow pretty quickly, not too sure on when they fledge, but id reckon 17 - 21 days at a guess, rossy.

[jarjar]

thanks ive been planting a couple of trees near the area over the past two mornings only taken me an hour for each one, i hope that wont of disturbed them to much. they where flying right over my head and everything i could see the catipillars facial expressions lol im thinking theres not many chicks though.does the feeding get more intense as they get older before fledging?

[BloomingMarvellous]

Originally Posted by jarjar

thanks ive been planting a couple of trees near the area over the past two mornings only taken me an hour for each one, i hope that wont of disturbed them to much. they where flying right over my head and everything i could see the catipillars facial expressions lol im thinking theres not many chicks though.does the feeding get more intense as they get older before fledging?

The Chicks only ever make sound when a parent brings back food.

Last year, in the early stages of the Blue tits nesting, I found myself having a little peep into the box, just after both parents flew off for more nesting material. So this year, I nailed the lids on tight.

[Elizabeth B]

jarjar - I don't think your planting of the trees will have bothered the birds at all, they don't scare that easily. We've certainly heard the chicks cheeping when there's no parent around, though it gets louder when the parent brings food in - they're all clamouring for attention!

We reckon it takes about 19 days from hatching to fledging - if you have a look at the Overview page of our website, you'll see the dates of significant events in our birds' lives since we had our first camera box in 2001.