Last year I monitored Pied Flycatchers at Aber. This species is very helpful by using nestboxes, which have kindly been provided for them for many years by Geoff Gibbs.
Now, this year I'll be doing similar work but on their Swedish cousins, so I've had to pass the reins on to others. Unfortunately, with Easter being rather later this year, the students have all made the most of no classes and gone home, right when we needed them to start checking the boxes! So on Tuesday, 2 days before flying to Sweden I went for a final check of my side, and the first official visit of the season. I was joined by Mark, who will be responsible for making sure the new recruits know what they're looking for.
Compared with our previous visit at the start of April, where we did some repairs to the boxes and checked them all for any early nest building, the woods were a lot quieter. The relative lack of birdsong was quite eerie and combined with the misty conditions, I was glad to have some company! We've discovered that by doing the boxes "backwards" it seems to take less time - walk to the top first and work your way down instead of working your way up and round. Most of the upper boxes were untouched but I was surprised to find four boxes with eggs in! All Great Tits, as each box was being guarded by a noisy parent, but three of these boxes had been empty on the last visit, so it just goes to show how quickly the breeding season can move when they decide the time is right! Unfortunately, so obvious signs of Pied Flycatchers yet, but I did spot a male around the boxes so fingers crossed they choose to use these cosy little homes. I also pointed out a few likely looking holes which may also be used, so the team will be able to keep an eye on these if the nest boxes aren't looking very productive.
Hope the guys have had a good break from Uni, and wishing you best of luck with the site this year. Will be thinking of you from Sweden and looking forward to hearing updates about my babies!
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