Titmouse's in a birdhouse in 2003
A colourcamera is used in 2004. Images can be seen by clicking on this link.
An infrared camera has been placed on March, 9th 2003. From above the birdhouse can be watched with the camera, in this way the four sides and the bottom can be seen. On the right you see the entrance of the birdhouse.
On this page most important events will be mentioned, illustrated with pictures.
March, 9th, 19 p.m.:
An empty birdhouse. To check if the birdhouse would be visited by a clever titmouse, two half peanuts were thrown on the bottom of the birdhouse. If the peanuts should disappear, than the birdhouse certainly would be visited.
March, 10th, 8 o'clock, the first interested titmouse took a look through the flighthole !
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March, 15th, the first de serious visitor arrived around 8.30 a.m. The first peanut on the bottom of the birdhouse was picked up in a few seconds and eaten outside the birdhouse. The titmouse came back to get the second peanut.
The titmouse came back for the third time and started to inspect the birdhouse by picking on the bottom.
The titmouse looked up and decided to have a look at the camera
and started with some acrobatic feats
The titmouse stayed about 10 minutes in the birdhouse.
March, 21th
A wide inspection of the birdhouse. The titmouse stayed about 16 minutes in the birdhouse, picked on the bottom and fluttered a lot with her wings. By fluttering the wings, the titmouse can measure the wide of the birdhouse and check whether the little birds will have enough space to practice flying.
Picking on the bottom and leaving the birdhouse.
March, 22th
An intruder in the birdhouse! This intrude was shooed away quick by getting in the birdhouse of the titmouse who owns this birdhouse and squeaking loudly. On the image you see 2 titmouse's the titmouse for the entrance is the intruder, the one on the bottom is the owner of the birdhouse.
March, 25th
At least 2 different titmouse's are visiting the birdhouse regularly. Titmouse's look the same, but they behave different.
1st picture a titmouse enters the birdhouse, 2nd picture a titmouse is hanging on the wall and picking, she looks and behaves like a woodpecker.
March, 26th
For the first time since installation of the camera on March, 9th a titmouse stayed overnight in the birdhouse! This picture was taken at 22.01 o'clock. Apparently the camera didn't cause trouble for the titmouse. About 22.11 o'clock the titmouse waked up, polished herself and went on sleeping.
March, 27th
Building a nest started around 11 a.m.
1st picture: often a concurrent is looking
March, 28th
A fight of 7 minutes in the birdhouse!
10.13 a.m. the titmouse looked to the flighthole en was fighting a moment later really strongly.
Within 10 minutes we had the result above: bits of fluffs and feathers are laying on the bottom of the birdhouse. The complete fight is taped on video. I think that the intruder won the battle. The titmouse's several times came back to the birdhouse. At night again a titmouse slept in the birdhouse.
April, 1st - 5th
Cold days with lots of wind, sometimes rain. Several times titmouse's visited the birdhouse during the day, and as usual a titmouse stayed overnight in the birdhouse
April, 6th
Seeing all fluffs and feathers there has been a fight again. Capturing images start 7.50 a.m. so the fight was early in the morning.
Spectacular news: the first titmouse, which behaves like a woodpecker returned! (see also March 25th) Around 9 o'clock the female titmouse again visited the birdhouse and another the female titmouse also came to have a look. Both titmouse visited together 5 times the birdhouse. All the time the second one shood the first one away.
Two female titmouses, the right one shoos away the left one.
April, 9th
The birdhouse has been visited several times by both titmouse's.
The birdhouse has been visited several times by both titmouse's. Despite snow-shower and the cold weather (6 degrees) building the nest restarted!
April, 11th
At least 27 times a titmouse visited the birdhouse (total 131 minutes), several times again 2 (females). Still to couples of titmouse's want to move in the birdhouse. One brings material for the nest in, the other brings it out of the birdhouse.
1ste picture: digging in the nest 2nd picture: reacting angry to an other bird.
April, 12th
The male titmouse who slept in the birdhouse, left it at 6.02 a.m., on the picture the
titmouse is stretching himself.
Till 16 p.m. 23 times 1 titmouse visited the birdhouse (total 80 minutes). Once there was
a sparrow in the flihthole. As reaction the titmouse spread her wings. The male titmouse
outside was making lots of noise.
1ste picture: stretching the wings - 2nd picture: reacting angry to a sparrow
April, 13th - April, 15th
The birdhouse has been visited several times by a titmouse.
Pictures: 2 titmouse's - male titmouse.
April, 16th
Finally a picture of a titmouse before the flighthole
April, 17th / April, 18th
The 3th try for building a nest. Still 2 titmouse are visiting the nest. A lot of times the second one shoos the first one away. Once the second titmouse came with lots of nest material, through on the flour, shooed away the first one and started digging in the nest,
1ste picture: landing of a titmouse with nest material - 2nd
picture digging in the nest
April, 17th - April, 22th
Bringing nestmaterial in the nestbox and searching new material.
April, 23th
The nest in colour.
For the first time the female titmouse is sleeping in the nest box
April, 24th - 28th
The birdhouse visited regularly and looks on April, 26th like this:
April, 29th - May 1st
The female was April, 29th from 7.10 till 7.30 a.m. in the birdhouse, the male came to bring a caterpillar.
May, 2nd
The titmouse hides the eggs. 19.45 p.m for the first time an egg was seen.
The male bird brings food, hanging in the entrance the male bird gives it.
18.45 a.m. nine eggs were seen ! These secret / sneaky bird hides the eggs most of the time.
The nest is compleet and contains 10 eggs.
May, 8th - 14th
The titmouse breeds during the day about 75% of the time. She turns the eggs every 15 minutes.
May, 18th
Young ones! At 9 a.m. three egg were visible.
May, 20th
10 young ones - 8 open and 2 closed snails
May, 22th - 7.15 a.m.
May, 23th - 19 p.m.
May, 26th
May, 28th
May, 30th
May, 31th
June, 3th
9 young one's (one died June 1st)
Right below the elder titmouse.
June, 6th
June, 7th
A little one is looking around
Juni, 8th
Last day of the birds in the nest. They left about 11 a.m.
| Titmouse | leaving the nest in minutes after the first |
| 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 2.14 |
| 3 | 3.40 |
| 4 | 4.33 |
| 5 | 5.01 |
| 6 | 10.00 |
| 7 | 68.40 |
| 8 | 71.56 |
| 9 | 83.30 |
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