nature is wonderful

Over the last two years we've enjoyed watching a pair of blue tits nesting in a nest box in my mother-in-law's back garden.  My daughter made and installed the box about five or six years ago, but it was only in the past two that we were certain it had been occupied.

My mother-in-law in particular spent hours watching as the parents flew back and fore, initially building their nest and then feeding the young chicks.

We installed a wildlife camera overlooking the box so we could record the comings and goings, and watched in horror as first a crow started hanging around the box and then as a cat tried to reach inside the box with its paw.

But luckily all the chicks successfully fledged back in early June, and just last week my daughter and I decided to take the nest box down, open it up and have a look inside.

And what a lovely sight it was.  A densely packed nest beautifully insulating the birds and more importantly their eggs and then chicks.  We could even see where the new nest had been constructed over the previous year's one.

Anyway, we gave it a quick clean out, removing any loose debris before replacing the nest box in its original location where hopefully it'll be populated again next spring.

Just before my break, I told you about a nest box we placed in our local woods that had been predated.  Well, this one helps restore my faith that nature will always overcome.