Nest box advice

Alun

Well, our blue tits finally fledged today which is good news, they're still hopping around the garden and mum is feeding them now and then.

However, now that the nest is empty I can see that, as I suspected, at least one of them didn't make it, and the dead body (or bodies) is still in the nest. On the webcam, I can see a big bluebottle taking an interest in it, and I wonder what might be the best thing to do now.

Will the birds return there for a day or two after fledging? If so, what can I safely do to ensure it doesn't become maggot infested? Could I get in there and try to remove the body, or just leave it alone?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

They will return to the box from time to time for a few days. The recommendations are to empty boxes in September but, being realistic, give it 4 or 5 days.

Alun

That's great, thanks. I can set up my webcam to detect motion in the nest, and can monitor when they stop returning to it.

Should I just remove the dead body and leave the nest material in there, or clean it out completely?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

If you can, just remove the dead chick and then take the old nest out in September but if its akward just take all now.

Alun

OK, thanks.