Personally, I've never really been a "pet person"(?); but at the moment, I have birds. Well - I don't really have them. We're just very close neighbours. Mr & Mrs Blue Tit have found their own place to live, and we just share a balcony rail. Which I used to call "mine", until they started to use it as their landing strip/runway - except when I'm out there, in which case they often make a sudden sharp turn and try a different, probably more difficult approach to reach their own doorstep. Which is here:
At first, I just watched them through the window, and noticed how often they seemed to land on almost the exact same spot on the rail every time, only to take off again seconds later. In the beginning, I could only guess; but then one afternoon when I was sitting out on the balcony for a while (and sitting very still), I was able to collect evidence. Their nest is in a vent on the wall next to my flat; and the main entrance seems to be the second slot from the bottom.
Hi kids ... Mummy's home! (...or Daddy, I'm not sure who's who...)
Just checking to see if anyone is watching me before I enter...
Even though I've seen them do it often enough now, it still seems like a magic trick to me. The actual disappearing act is just too quick - not only for my camera, but even for the human eye.
They don't usually stay in there very long though - just to deliver food to the little hungry ones inside. Then they set off out again.
Wait for it...
10 comments:
You captured it! You must have been very patient, and it paid off! I hope you or maybe us get to see the babies fledge!
That's great! I suppose the Blue Tit family will get used to your presence on the balcony, unless you suddenly start to throw parties out there, with loud music and a lot of movement and chattering :-D
As for more people aquiring pets, I fear for the animals - as soon as things go back to (more or less) normal, the new pet owners will realise (or feel) that they do not actually have the time (or can be bothered) to keep looking after a pet properly.
now we know what in the blink of an eye means! It was a great capture but so quick I almost didn't see it. Quite good it is! Glad you found the little guys
Ginny, seeing how narrow that opening is I'm sooo wondering how they will go about getting the young ones to eventually leave home and try their wings for the first time! But I suppose it must all be in their instincts, somehow...
Meike, I don't normally spend all that much time sitting on the balcony, as it's nearly always "too something", as in too hot/cold/wet/windy/noisy (there are 18 balconies on the building and often people on the lawn beneath as well). However, if I sit still in my chair at the other end of the balcony, the birds do sometimes seem to find it safe to land on "their" part of rail as usual ;) Today one did so several times, and also each time seemed to be "saying" something before it took off again. Alas, I don't speak Blue Tit language and have no idea what s/he was trying to say (or to whom). Either asking me to leave, or shouting a warning to its partner about the presence of a human on the balcony, perhaps... ;)
Sandra, it certainly does happen in the blink of an eye, both when they go in and when they come out! Still seems unbelievable to me how they shrink themselves to fit into that narrow slot.
I don't know how many times I've patiently waited to capture bird scenes and gotten nothing, you did well with this one.
Thanks Amy :)
That's a pretty good bit of photography there, Monica. I've hardly ever managed to get one of the sparrows going in or out of the nest box because they are so fast. Sill though it may sound I never thought of videoing it. I wish there were Blue Tits around here but they live in the woods in Stornoway and now out here in the wilds.
Thanks Graham. Actually I did not think of using video at first either. I would never have managed to catch them going in anyway, I think. But then it struck me that if I started filming after one had gone in, I might catch it going out. So that's what I did. The original video was over 30 s of nothing before it came out again, but I managed to figure out how to edit it down to half the time before putting it on the blog :) - Now I haven't seen or heard them for a couple of days. I suppose they must have moved out! We had a couple of days of "too hot" (for me) before the shift to heavy rain yesterday, which means I've not been out on the balcony much. And during the hot days I did not spend much time in my study either (from where I used to be able to hear the young ones somewhere inside the wall). I suppose they must have taken the opportunity to kick the kids out when I was not looking! I'm afraid I really don't know how exactly they go about it when it's time for them to try their wings for the first time. I had hoped to find out, but it seems I missed it!
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