The "cute" stage

The Blue Tit's are growing fast.  They are reaching the stage were the are looking like very cute fluffy Blue Tit's.  Mum has also stopped roosting with them overnight as they are now too big for her to sit on them.  So they are curling up together in the nestbox.

Last night they couldn't settle at all and the eldest chick was fidgeting like mad.  I suspect that those growing feathers really itch.

There is now a size difference between the first and last chick to hatch.  However the youngest is doing well and doesn't seem that far behind.  Mum and dad are ensuring that they are all fed.

Now the feathers are appearing they need to strengthen the wing muscles ready for that first flight. Without a nest camera this is something that you never get to see:

It won't be long and they will be leaving the nestbox.  They have started today (20th May) to roam around the whole of the nestbox. They stay in the nest 18-21 days.  Now the first chick hatched on 3rd May and the last on 5th May. I would hope that the time for fledging is taken from the last chick hatching but it has been warm and dry here plus the chicks have been stuffed full of mealworms and caterpillars by their parents.

So they could fledge anytime after Saturday 21st May.  I am hoping that they will fledge at the weekend but I suspect they will wait until I am back at work on Monday.  I hope to be able to set up an outside camera so that when they do fledge it is possible to have video footage from inside and outside the nestbox.

As the camera will be on 24/7 over the next few days (I missed the fledging last year and don't intend to do the same this year) I won't be able to update the blog until after they have gone.