Just
to let you know that Neptune is still wondering what he did wrong - here he
is visiting Fantail's box again.
No more has been seen of the pair of bluetits seen mating on the roof a few days ago. In fact the box has been taken over by a different sort of creature entirely!
If
this were a horror movie, I think I would have nightmares. This is
certainly a big spider, but because it is so near the camera it looks as big
as Fluffy! It can be seen from time to time wandering from the
top of the box to the exit hole.
In fact, you can see in the picture of Neptune above that it has spun a web across the width of the box on the outside.
We wonder what would have happened to it if Fantail had had her chicks here!
Back
to something more wholesome! Is the chick at the front sitting quietly
because it was fed last time, or is it the runt of the brood missing out on
a good feed? We suspect the former - there has been no sign of
self effacement by such chicks in the past!
Here
all seven chicks are clamouring for the food. Because the camera has
such a wide angle lens, it makes the chicks nearer to it look even bigger
than they really are. In reality, the chick that is nearest to Fluffy
is probably no bigger than any of the rest of them.
This
picture is easily misinterpreted. At first glance it looks like a
chick with a soft pink beak, but in fact it shows a chick presenting its
rear end in order to give a faecal sac to Fluffy!
Look how long the chicks' wing feathers are now. It won't be long before they fledge!
When
they stand side by side, you can see that the chicks look almost fully
grown.
When
they get in a bit of flapping practice, as they are increasingly frequently,
you can see that their wings almost reach across the nest box.
Finally,
I rather like this final image of a weary mum bringing yet another green
caterpillar to feed her chicks!