This
bird, which is visiting box 2 at just before 10 this morning, is clearly
female (see the nesting wriggle later) and is the bird that that has made us
wonder whether Fluffy is back again.
We're probably a bit obsessed about Fluffy, but she is a feisty bird. In 2003 she successfully finished rearing her chicks after her partner disappeared a few days before they fledged when they were at their most demanding.
Having
said all that, we think she could be Fluffy for two reasons. First,
she is sprouting some ruffled feathers at the same spot that Fluffy started
showing this trait (although the condition is about a month behind 2004
which you can see by looking here.)
Then,
she does a one winged nesting wriggle, the only bird of the half dozen that
we have observed over the last few nesting seasons that we have seen
exhibiting this behaviour.
Whether
her partner is again Barney, we cannot tell. However, this bird is
clearly male. The feathers on the top of his head are not smooth and
of uniform colour like a female but streaky and a bit tousled.
Whether
he is a tough guy or not, he still crouches down when his partner enters the
nest ...
...
and leaves almost immediately she has come in.
Here
is another nice shot of a bird coming to the box. It's a pity about
the lighting - I have been looking at last year's pictures which were taken
from a much better location.
Here
you can see what I mean about the female's head feathers - smooth, of
uniform colour - quite definitely more feminine!
It is
now the middle of the day, and some blue sky has appeared. What
incredible things birds' feathers are!
Too
late great tit - I think our bluetits have put down a deposit on this box!
This
shows what I said earlier about the male's head feathers quite clearly - a
typically masculine topknot.