information please about roosting

[gill1701]

Hi I am new to this forum but have a question about bird roosting behaviour. We put up a nestbox with a camera in it in November last year and within 3 days had a blue tit roosting in it at night. The box has been occupied every night since by a blue tit (not sure if it's been the same bird every night or a different one occasionally, but there's been one in there every night since). It's now May, and there's a bird still in there each night but it's shown no signs of building a nest. Can anyone explain to me what's going on here - why is it still roosting when the weather is much warmer now, and why hasn't it either built a nest or gone off to find a mate to build one elsewhere? Do all birds pair up or are there some left on the shelf like this one appears to be, or is it possible that it's cohabiting two nests at once, keeping this box as a bachelor pad?! As I said, there's no indication it's building a nest here, although there are a few feathers blowing around inside the box, which have been there for about 2 months now: has the bird been moulting? Many thanks in advance of anyone being able to enlighten me! Gill

[dave culley]

Hi gill

alls i can suggest is its a male roosting as my pair built in one box and the male still roosts in a box he has used all winter,but longtailed tits sleep together at night in the same nest.

Regards Dave.

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[gill1701]

Hi Dave
Thanks for the reply -does that mean then that this bird probably has a nest elsewhere now, where a female is probably sitting on eggs, and my bird is just going to use my box as respite? Would that account for the loose feathers, with my bird being active all day building this other nest elsewhere and becoming a bit run down with all the activiity and moulting a bit?
Oh well, maybe we'll have some action next year...
Gill