Plume de Ville
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From day to day.
March 19th
Warm 19 °C, blue, clouds in the afternoon.
Location of small birdhouse.
She remained in the nest box to sleep last night.
Some last minute layout modifications.
And shuteye!
I wanted to try the lighting last night taking advantage of his
absence. Well, no.
I saw them still at about 18:30 and from the way she went in and out of
the box, I wondered if she had not intentions of staying there. He was
with her, following her in the balcony. And at 18:50 she entered and
did not come out. He went to sleep by himself. The nest is not
finished, began four days ago, she comes early to spend the night.
6:30 This morning. Still sleeping.
6:42, Madame wakes.
He, the alarm clock, is already there, not far away and sings. Amazing
the power of his song. It carries far.
She exits a few minutes later at 6:46.
The both leave immediately.
They will stay away long enough, I profit to put some lighting.
The
result is not very good; the settings of the colour camera should have
been adjusted. Despite all attempts to improve the setting at distance
this morning, the image is not sharp enough. It will remain as is. It
is excluded to disturb her.
I let a dim lighting to see.
She returned later and did not seem at all disturbed by the lighting. It is low and natural light is strong in the nesting box on the sun. No different reaction from her observed.
No new furniture will enter the nest this morning. She will spend her time to overturn the moss already placed. To pick large bits of moss (unpleasant?, spiny?), to go out and throw them away on the balcony. Doing and undoing... Yesterday threads are taken out then inside again. Not yet! A few minutes later, to the bin! Definitively they do not fit.
Both, they spend much time "out" (off the balcony!). Periodically she returns back to overturn bedding and they leave.
The end of this video coincides with de arrival of a sparrow.
Him outside, had the same stance until the sparrow decided to leave.
Watch
VIDEO (578ko,32s)
Coming out of the box a quick feather dressing is often necessary.
After noon, restart of moss supplies which will continue until
mid-afternoon, but rather irregularly.
It seems that after her wandering, she returns with a little something
that pleased her.
March 20th
Springtime!
Showers, Light and warmth, 16 °C this
morning.
Like yesterday, she came to sleep at 18.40.
And wake up with songs this morning at 7am.
Watch
VIDEO (1198ko,1mn15s)
Some of the work is to shed pieces of moss that does not fit! As in the video above. She does not drops then just at nest box door, but she takes them far enough. You must have a trained tit eye to see which are the strands not worthy of her nest!
March 21th
After an evening and a night of very heavy rain, overcast, 15
°C.
Worried that morning, he must have had a "panne d'oreiller" (pillow
failure) there was nobody to sing.
After waiting, she left alone at 7am.
The two returned an hour later. Day chores well established, remove
some moss, bring some moss, a little walk and start again.
She always sleeps in the same corner, his head against the wall.
We switch off the light at about 18:30, there is still daylight, but she seems to go to bed early, so ...
March 22th
Wonderful spring day, 17 °C.
Poplar catkins scatter their red pollen.
And the wood pigeons, who love these beautiful branches, come to coo,
love when the branches bend, fold under their weight, they swing again
and again at the end of the branch and ... break the branches that I
sadly found down.
Poor poplar, already it has not so many branches. Under the weight of
years he has thinned out. Now it must endure le wood pigeon games.
The blue tit leaved early, it was clear this morning at 6:30, he was
near her singer.
The couple of great tits must have take up residence nearby. He sings
lengthily on the terrace. Always the same sentence, relentless and
strong.
She always puts out some tufts of moss...
... and she brings new ones.
She proceeded to these exchanges the whole day.
The architect choices are very difficult.
Despite these hesitations, little by little the nest completes. The
moss increases.
It alternates periods of moss provision and periods when she returns
and packs the moss in the edges leaving the centre always clear. She
passes regularly.
Apart from a few twigs, as here, the materials are mostly moss. These
twigs will not stay long after they moved to different corners of the
nest; she will eventually remove the coarser ones.
Ah,
yes! That's the big nestbox!
They finally revisit both!
A regret?
Or fancy a second home?
February 21 12:17
March 23th
Sumptuous weather!
Contribution and construction periods which are followed by periods of
discarding materials unsuitable for nesting.
He is less present and we see him a lot less. She passes periodically
house keep the nest during the day; turn over the moss, pack. Often now
he doesn't accompany her any more.
The days lengthen rapidly at this time, she comes to bed later (19h)
but in the morning... she loiters a little and it does not leave before
6:45 am.
March 24th
Always spring weather, 20 °C.
I was surprised in the morning not to see the male come to sing. I
often saw the female leave alone the morning without him under her
balcony.
This morning it was earlier when I came to see (6h), and he is there!
And he sings and sings without interruption.
In
the nest box?
Sleeping! He sings, always the same refrain.
Fifteen
minutes later, she peeks... and goes to bed again.
Disappointed, he finally gave up and left. She will leave at 6:30 am,
alone. Wait a little singing. Then, you're not there? (Well, no!) and
then leave.
Big clash this morning with the great tits, small blue detest their
presence near their home.
We saw flying in all directions, both of them chased the great tits,
tiny blue balls behind the big tits.
Supply of moss happens mostly between 11h and 14h. Few passages in the
morning. Today, nobody between 8am and 11.30am.
This morning we could see the bottom of the box, the moss layer is
thick.
The afternoon
is devoted mainly to packing. Standing on the floor, she pushes the
moss with the head and shoulders.
Construction
and packing lesson.
Watch
VIDEO (886ko,41s)
She keeps just a small spot empty in the centre.
March 25th
Light rain and mild, 15 °C.
This morning they meet, 6:20.
She
continues to bring and pack moss that begins to be thick. It remains
still an empty space (where shi sits, on the left).
I love when she starts to plunge under the moss carpet.
W
VIDEO (674ko,46s)
At departure? First, she jumps and latter she opens the wings!
He, at left, making rapid and jerky wing beats on the spot. A behaviour
that I have seldom observed. Meanwhile she (below) watch. At the end of
his sequence, it flies away and she follows.
Straw or dry grass in the afternoon before the storm and showers.
It looks like she chose the location of the nest bowl.
Ah yes, they are there!
The ball is open pigeons.
Back to their favourite window boxes.
March 26th
Clouds, showers, sun, 12 °C.
In
March, they end wintering,
the Comma in its orange livery and the Peacock with the splendid
ocelli. They spent the winter at the adult stage, hidden under leaves.
Common Brimstone is also outside; in spring (early) it also comes out of its shelter, where it spent the winter.
Despite a nice chase, this one really didn't want be on the photo, impossible to approach closer.
March 27th
Showers, drizzle, cold wind, 10 °C
Lately, we've seldom seen the male. It comes in the morning, then two or three times and he accompanies her in the evening when she comes to sleep. There he is again very present, accompanying her the whole day. But he doesn't come to see her in the nest box anymore.
Still and again, arguments with the great tits and even with the sparrows.
This morning: 3 blues! This is the third time that I see as 3. The third is it the same one seen in the winter? They come together. There is no aggressive behaviour between them.
The construction phase is to "dry grass".
Shortly, it will be the turn of feathers and other cozies that provide the finishing touches.
Watch VIDEO (760ko,39s)
Watch VIDEO (398ko,18s)
About great tits...
Yes, it's still the same great tit! It clearly has not replaced its tail feathers!
(WEBCAMlink:The small birdhouse used in previous years has only webcams and not an IP camera as installed in the large nest box. Unfortunately, we had not enough time to implement a new procedure, replacing one that had been planned and tested to have a live display of these Webcams immediately. These are only the videos that will be presented at the moment for the little birdhouse. Videos that can be found in these pages.)
March 28th
Overcast, humid, 12 °C.
She left at 7:20 this morning (summer time! She forgot to advance her
watch!).
Insomnia?
This night she went to look after the nest bowl!
On several occasions, she came to arrange a few pieces in the cup of
the nest before resuming her position, lying in her favourite corner.
La photo de gauche date d'il y a deux
jours. Je pense que son nid est presque fini et qu'elle n'apporte plus
d'herbes mais passe la journée maintenant à
former avec son corps la coupe du nid. Elle reste en effet
très peu de temps au nichoir, souvent juste pour se coucher
un instant au creux du nid.
March 29th
Sun, clouds, 12 °C.
6:15
it was still dark, well dark. The suitor is there and sings softly,
without stops, patiently. Madame sleeps and doesn't move a feather.
He will have to wait over an hour for her to agree to go out for morning lovemaking.
(Sorry, photos are very bad; but I did not want to risk disturbing the singer with a big flash.)
The "soft" comes as... a few green leaves!
I've seen in previous years tits bring so leaves.
Will or leaves clinging accidentally to her feathers or legs that fell when se is in the nest box? I do not know. Although studies indicate that tits have been studied (in the South) which actually bring the plants into their nests (some thinks with the purpose of disinfection or insecticides (?)).
Last stage before it settles for laying, the nest is more and more cozy.
Watch
VIDEO (574ko,22s)
The small white gizmo in the nest? No. I do not know what it is, it intrigued me a lot but even looking at several enlarged photos, I do not know what it is. It is found in one of the videos.
March 30th
Showers, grey, cool, 9 °C..
Hail, 5°C in the afternoon.
6am,
he's there, he sings.
Et il s'impatiente... se rapproche peu à peu du nichoir.
Dans le nichoir, on dort encore. Et bien.
Elle va seulement changer de place et dormir dans la coupe du nid.
Aucune intention de se lever ainsi dès potron-minet.
Je ne t'entends pas!
Une
demi-heure plus tard il est toujours là, il devient vraiment
impatient.
Bon, debout là dedans!
Là je vais finir par venir te chercher.
Dans le nichoir ce n'est que profonde indifférence.
He might strive to awake her, she does not care.
Finally, at 7:18 am she finally unfolds, and replied... I didn't
understand...
She
decides to leave.
Really a clock, the time is the same every day!
7:16 March 29th, 7:20 the 28th...
We understand that it is futile for him to expect her to get up sooner,
isn't?
With the streak coquettishly over the left eye, it's him. And in the background, her.
Feathers,
feathers, feathers,...
March 31th
Rather cool this morning: 6 °C, while he sings as usual under a
March sky between two showers.
He must wait until 7:21 to meet her.
Here they are just after her wake up.
She brings feathers, and still feathers and stay long time in the nest
box or nearby. She is often seen watching the nest bowl.
He accompanies her, he never leaves her.
Watch VIDEO (816ko,1mn04s)
