Flagpoles & Nestboxes

This week although i've had quite limited time to visit the flags the gradual return of black Headed Gulls is starting , up to 6 today & a good flock of 15 Curlews yesterday.

Nestboxes.

During March Richard Dobbins happened to mention that he could get hold of some boxes courtesey of John Hayes that were being made at Texaco. I spoke to my wife Carole who runs Cottage Retreats In Pembrokeshire ( Co. Sponsor of Bird Report ) to see if she could persuade a few of the owners of the cottages to allow us to place some boxes in the gardens. Fortunately all the owners asked ( plus another who is having major building work & desperately wants some for next year ) were completely in favour of supporting the venture & all gave permission for us to place the boxes & view for progress.

I was supplied with 19 boxes in all , 10 Open fronted type ( For Spotted Flycatcher ) & 9 with the normal small round holes which we hoped would entice a few tit species.

All the boxes were in position by early April & we sat back to wait & see what would happen.

The results are successful but also mildly disappointing , of the 9 tit boxes we had a 100% success , mostly Blue Tits but some of the other boxes had fledged so we can't be sure. But i suspect Blue Tit is favorite.

Of the 10 Open Front type boxes none were used , although i am assured that often nest boxes don't get used in the first year. ( Although no one told the Blue Tits this ! )

Apart from the excitement of the tit boxes being used it has posed a couple of questions for me as the boxes were mostly in the Tregwynt area which over the years has been a good area for Spot flycatchers.

Are there sufficient natural or regular breeding sites for Spot Fly in the area so as not to need nest boxes,

As the tit boxes were taken up so quickly could this indicate the opposite with tit species.

At one of the cottages the boxes went up quite late i was sure they would not be used & was suprised to find the box fledged when i checked a few weeks later. The adults must have been looking over my shoulder as i was fixing it up !

I am quite pleased with the partial success of the venture & express my thanks to Carole & the participating owners from Cottage Retreats & Richard Dobbins & John Hayes for supplying the boxes.