He had
hardly left the box when the female returned. This time she clearly
means business. Here she can be seen trying to remove one of the
droppings. She is only partially successful as it appears to be stuck
to the floor.
However, after a bit of a struggle she leaves with most of it.
A few
seconds later she is back to have a go at another one. This time she
is successful and so she leaves the box again with it in her beak.
In
between her visits, the male comes into the box. As before, he takes
no part in the cleaning operation and does not stay long.
Here
is the female back for another go.
And
this is the result of all her hard work! Practically all of the mess
has been removed. The only remaining droppings appear to be ones that
are stuck to the floor of the box.
There is a serious point here! Hygiene inside a nest box is vital if the chicks are to grow up and fledge successfully. Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but we think that the fact that the female has cleaned up the box means that she is serious about using it for her nest
After
the female has finished, the male comes in to inspect things.
"What was all the fuss about then?" he seems to be saying.