Question On Fledgling Birds

Bsal

After birds fledge and say for the first week or so where do the young birds go at night, do they go back to the nest they hatched in or stay in a nice safe tree or some other place? I can't imagine they would fit in the nest they hatched in.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Yes and No!
Some fledglings may return to the nest for a night or two but usually they roost in trees and shrubs nearby.
Their size isn't really a factor as most fledged birds are very near adult size and if they fitted in the nest pre-fledging they'll squeeze in again after. But, generally, once the nest is left they don't return to it.

Bsal

Thanks for that, it's been bugging me for a while.

Alun

Was just about to ask the same thing, as our blue tits fledged before our very eyes this morning. I counted 4, but I may have missed one or two. It all happened quite quickly which surprised me, one after the other popped out, and can't have taken more than a couple of minutes in total, a great thing to see happening right in front of you.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Alun wrote: »

Was just about to ask the same thing, as our blue tits fledged before our very eyes this morning. I counted 4, but I may have missed one or two. It all happened quite quickly which surprised me, one after the other popped out, and can't have taken more than a couple of minutes in total, a great thing to see happening right in front of you.

It's one of those sights that, no matter have much you have seen, always delights.Blue Tits generally fledge fairly quickly one after the other.

Rainbowsend

This was yesterday, they fledged this morning!

bogtreader

He seems to have anger management issues

Rainbowsend

bogtreader wrote: »

He seems to have anger management issues

He wants his LIGA!

Bsal

The Blue Tits on this years BBC Springwatch fledged today too, all 9 of them!

Alun

Yesterday seemed to be the day for it indeed! It had been a little colder and wet for a few days, but yesterday morning (at least here in Bray) was warm and sunny, so I'm guessing that was the trigger. As I said, I was amazed at the speed with which they fledged ... plop, plop, plop ...one after the other. I haven't seen sight or sound of any of them, parents or fledglings since though .. it all seems so quiet now, but with any luck they might have another brood.

Alun

Another (maybe stupid) question ... if my blue tits do have a second brood, will they re-use the same nest in the nest box, re-use the nest box but clear it out and build a new nest, or do I need to clear out the old nest first? And how long will it generally be after the first brood fledges before a second brood, if any?

stevensi

NOt a stupid question at all. Blue tits don't generally have second broods but another another pair could use the nest box or you might get a different species use it...not an expert in this field but i would as a rule clean out the old nesting material as it may have germs etc in it. There may even be an unhatched egg or even a dead fledgling left in the old nest although the parents do usually try and remove any dead fledglings.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

stevensi has it more or less covered. The only thing I would add is that the established routine is not to remove anything from the nest until Autumn. Some birds may use it because of the current nest material, others will remove anything they don't want.

Alun

OK, I'll leave well alone until Autumn then.

Rancid

The three surviving blue tit babies in my garden fledged today!
I missed seeing the first one, but the second and third just peeped out further than ever before and took flight to the oak tree 2 gardens along!
The same tree that the parents have been raiding for food for the last couple of weeks and I'm almost certain I saw one of the babies back in the garden about 2 hours later.

Odd thing, about an hour after all three had fledged, a parent returned to the nest box, had a good look inside, didn't actually go in, though, and then flew away.
What was that all about? Just checking it was empty?