NEST BUILDING

I drove to Blakehill nature reserve for a walk, no wheatears or or meadow pipits, but lots of singing skylarks, hidden in the grass. I did see a couple of them rise up and hover whilst singing for a while before descending back down. On the way back to the car I spotted some sheep's wool in the wire fence so collected some as possible nesting material for my garden birds. 

In the previous two years blue tits have completely ignored my nest boxes on the cherry tree and on the side of the summerhouse, preferring instead to use a hole in my willow tree. However I  noticed that the hole has now grown over, but am pleased to say that both nest boxes are showing signs of activity by blue tits! 

 To return to the sheep's wool; I lodged it in the edge of the summerhouse roof and when I looked a few minutes later it was gone! I checked it had not blown down on the ground, then found a downy feather and put it there - same result!  In my craft drawer I remembered I had some stuffing material, so pulled a bit out and put it in the same place and watched. At first I saw a sparrow, then later a blue tit  pulling bits off and then taking them in to the nearby nest box, which it did several times. I shall look forward to seeing if they manage to breed successfully in it.

Pulling off some nesting material

On the roof...

... then inside

oops, a bit too much maybe!