BLUE TITS (24)

Not that much to report re. our Tits. The male is still feeding the female a little (outside the box). I am led to believe that this is 'training' for when she is incubating, and he feed her (inside the box). I am also led to believe that whilst she is forming eggs inside her body, she is 14% heavier and flies 20% slower than normally. She is obviously more likely to be preyed upon in this condition, so the less time she spends flying about looking for food, the better. The male is in effect contributing to an insurance policy of sorts - makes sense though eh?
Does this mean we are now looking likely to get some eggs in the box? Maybe! If so, the laying could start at any time, though if the female is looking any more plump, it's not by much at the moment.

I think she'll start laying in a week, though this recent VERY warm weather may speed things up a bit. Blue Tits time their breeding / laying to match the time of maximum caterpillar numbers, to ensure a high survival rate for their chicks. I guess the caterpillars will be hatching with all this hot, sunny weather, and the ensuing bloom of foliage, on which they feed....

In a nutshell -

Sun-->Foliage-->Caterpillars-->Blue Tit Chicks. (There's your chain).