Sad News This Morning - Need Advice!

[Richmau5]

Good morning everyone.

I am new here but it has been bugging me since it happened.

This morning i heard my mum crying really loud and i didnt know why. She finally told me.

We bough a bird box with a wireless camera in it only to find that a bluetit took fancy to our nest. Few weeks later there where 7 eggs that had appeared inside the nest. We setup a recording device and watched them everyday. Woke up one morning to find all 7 had hatch and the chicks where happy. Its been a week on from watching them feed. Its been so funny watching them!

My mum woke up this morning to only find all where not moving, 6 died and one is left. We dont have a clue what happened. Our bird box is on the south wall of a garage. In the shade. We have water and many bird feeding points in the garden. We could see the mother and father coming back every 5 minutes to feed all the birds. This has been a total shock as we recorded them and made a diary on them everyday. Great sadness.

Does anyone know what could have caused this?

Thanks for taking the time to read my post

[Jim Ford]

Sorry to hear the news.

That's the problem with cameras in bird boxes when things don't work out. Sometimes it's easier to be unaware of the tragedies that can occur. We've given up on bird box cameras because of this.

Usually it's not recommended to place a bird box on a South facing wall, as it can get too hot, but as you state that it's in the shade it should be OK.

I can't offer any ideas as to what went wrong, and can only advise that these things do happen and if you have a camera you have to cope with it.

Jim

[diggleken]

Thats a great shame rich, not good at all and very sad when you get attached to them.
The only clue for me is that it was south facing, even in shade, and in the hot weather maybe as Jim says it got too much, especially if it was a small box, but even so..............
Elizabeth B. on these forums might have more idea.
Welcome to WAB by the way.
Ken

[Elizabeth B]

Hello Rich - I'm sorry that your first year of having a camera box has had such a sad outcome, but I don't have many thoughts on what might have gone wrong. One possibility is lack of suitable food. The chicks need tiny caterpillars etc to provide the moisture they need - though your feeding points will provide food for the parents.

Fewer than 40% of bluetit chicks will survive their first year (BTO statistics) - it's survival of the fittest, but that's no comfort to you and your mum. Don't give up - if you look at the Overview page of our website you'll see that we've had some very rewarding years as well as some very sad ones..

[Richmau5]

Thank you for your messages. The have now all passed away

Such a shame. We have buried the ones that the mother manged to remove. Is it normal that the mother was pecking at the bodys and taking parts of the babys body out the box?

Was kind of scary seeing its mother eating them.

[Elizabeth B]

Originally Posted by Richmau5

Thank you for your messages. The have now all passed away

Such a shame. We have buried the ones that the mother manged to remove. Is it normal that the mother was pecking at the bodys and taking parts of the babys body out the box?

Was kind of scary seeing its mother eating them.

The parent(s) usually try to remove the dead chicks - it's an instinctive reacation, but I really don't think she was actually eating a body.

[nigel_b]

Sad news indeed Rich and I hope you keep on going with the camera.

There's a couple of unpleasant things to get used to when you get serious about wildlife, like you have with the camera in the nest box, and they are death and poo. Sorry to hear what happened.

[RKB]

Have you definitely seen two adults still coming to the box (two at the same time)? The main reason for chicks dying like this is because the female has been killed elsewhere. As chicks cannot maintain their own temperature they need to be brooded (sat on) by the female several times an hour when they are young. If the female disappears then they die within a few hours, even if the male is still bringing food (the male cannot brood them).

[nigel_b]

^^^ interesting stuff, you learn something every day. Thanks.

[Elizabeth B]

We're still learning - and this is our 11th year of watching!