Abandoned titmouse nest

by Jan van de Laar

A modest insect hotel has been hanging on our shed for a few years now. It’s next to a nesting box that’s perfectly suited to raising small birds such as great tits. We sometimes refer to the combination of nesting box and insect hotel as our ‘bed and breakfast’. As the little tits grow and become increasingly hungry, their parents don’t have to fly far to find food. Quite a few tit chicks have been raised in our garden.

In autumn, once the birds have long since left the nest, we empty the nesting box and return it clean. This prevents parasites such as fleas, mites and lice from overwintering inside it. What’s more, the box is then immediately ready for birds looking to take shelter in it during the cold winter months.

Today I emptied the birdbox again. And just like in previous years, I was once again amazed at how beautifull such a nest is constructed. And at the impressive amount of twigs, tiny feathers, human or animal hairs and other materials used by Mum and Dad Tit to build it. This time there was an extra surprise: an unfertilised egg.

The egg lies there looking lovely and appears to be completely intact. It has been pushed slightly to one side, but you’d actually expect the birds to have eaten such an egg. After all, both the parents and their chicks could really do with all the food available.