Discussion:
Oddest thing found in nest box?
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Darkside
2014-06-09 11:22:28 UTC
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Yesterday on a Chiltern nature reserve, a check of tawny owl nest boxes
found no owls but one box contained a freshly-dead adult male grey
squirrel. It had no visible injuries or anything to suggest the cause
of death.
Does anyone know why it was there?
And, what's the most unlikely thing people have found in nest boxes?
--
Sue ]:(:)
Christina Websell
2014-06-19 00:16:31 UTC
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Post by Darkside
Yesterday on a Chiltern nature reserve, a check of tawny owl nest boxes
found no owls but one box contained a freshly-dead adult male grey
squirrel. It had no visible injuries or anything to suggest the cause
of death.
Does anyone know why it was there?
No one has replied so I guess no-one has a clue , I certainly don't unless
it was karma for going into a nestbox to rob it <g>
Post by Darkside
And, what's the most unlikely thing people have found in nest boxes?
--
can't help much with unlikely things either. I do get bumblebees in my
boxes sometimes and once when I was clearing out a great tit box in the
winter I found a complete blue tit nest with 10 eggs in that they had laid
on top of. Which is not unusual, I suppose, but hey, it's better to get a
reply than none..
I can't imagine the fight that happened over that nest box, the blue tits
defending their established nest in the deep box that I had constructed for
GT's and then the GT's wanted it.
It's not like I hadn't got BT boxes up with a 25mm hole (I do 28mm holes and
deep boxes for GT) but birds cannot be instructed like "you blue tits only
nest in the box with the 25mm hole or it might go very wrong" and it did.
Darkside
2014-06-19 16:20:47 UTC
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Post by Christina Websell
Post by Darkside
Yesterday on a Chiltern nature reserve, a check of tawny owl nest boxes
found no owls but one box contained a freshly-dead adult male grey
squirrel. It had no visible injuries or anything to suggest the cause
of death.
Does anyone know why it was there?
No one has replied so I guess no-one has a clue , I certainly don't unless
it was karma for going into a nestbox to rob it <g>
Just after I posted, the "swift in warehouse" event happened - people
probably forgot about everything else. I'm surprised the swift allowed
a binbag to swallow it, but all's well that ends well.
Post by Christina Websell
I do get bumblebees in my
boxes sometimes and once when I was clearing out a great tit box in the
winter I found a complete blue tit nest with 10 eggs in that they had laid
on top of. Which is not unusual, I suppose, but hey, it's better to get a
reply than none..
Did the great tits build a nest on top of the blue tits' nest, or did
they just lay eggs alongside the existing clutch? I've seen tits' nests
in odd places but never one like that!
--
Sue ]:(:)
Mike Coon
2014-06-19 16:34:53 UTC
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Post by Darkside
Did the great tits build a nest on top of the blue tits' nest, or did
they just lay eggs alongside the existing clutch? I've seen tits' nests
in odd places but never one like that!
My favourite was when I watched a blue tit set out to cross a dual
carriageway but disappeared halfway. It had dived through an open cable
hole in the back of a traffic light housing. There was much coming and
going so no doubt there were chicks in there... (I'm sure I could locate
it in Google Street View!)

Mike.
David B
2014-06-20 07:41:19 UTC
Permalink
Post by Darkside
Post by Christina Websell
Post by Darkside
Yesterday on a Chiltern nature reserve, a check of tawny owl nest boxes
found no owls but one box contained a freshly-dead adult male grey
squirrel. It had no visible injuries or anything to suggest the cause
of death.
Does anyone know why it was there?
No one has replied so I guess no-one has a clue , I certainly don't unless
it was karma for going into a nestbox to rob it <g>
Just after I posted, the "swift in warehouse" event happened - people
probably forgot about everything else. I'm surprised the swift allowed
a binbag to swallow it, but all's well that ends well.
Before the bin bag I tried a white rubble type bag but couldn't get that
close. I thought black may be less frightening and it seemed to work.
The main reason I think we got it was that it was exhausted.
--
David
David B
2014-06-20 07:44:22 UTC
Permalink
Post by Darkside
Post by Christina Websell
Post by Darkside
Yesterday on a Chiltern nature reserve, a check of tawny owl nest boxes
found no owls but one box contained a freshly-dead adult male grey
squirrel. It had no visible injuries or anything to suggest the cause
of death.
Does anyone know why it was there?
No one has replied so I guess no-one has a clue , I certainly don't unless
it was karma for going into a nestbox to rob it <g>
Just after I posted, the "swift in warehouse" event happened - people
probably forgot about everything else. I'm surprised the swift allowed
a binbag to swallow it, but all's well that ends well.
Before the bin bag I tried a white rubble type bag but couldn't get that
close. I thought black may be less frightening and it seemed to work.
The main reason I think we got it was that it was exhausted.

....and I've just noticed that that was a different news group :o)
--
David
Christina Websell
2014-06-23 22:44:21 UTC
Permalink
Post by Darkside
Did the great tits build a nest on top of the blue tits' nest, or did
they just lay eggs alongside the existing clutch? I've seen tits' nests
in odd places but never one like that!
--
they laid their nest on top and the blue tits lost their nest.
need to provide more nestboxs

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