St Andrews Nestboxes

A lovely surprise today: ringing a clutch of coal tit chicks. This is our 2nd clutch since we started in 2016 (last clutch was 2021). Does anyone else get coal tits in their blue/great tit boxes? @Phenoweb_Scot @ClaireBranston @MadingleyBirds @WythamTits @BagleyNestboxes

Proud to announce the arrival of our first egg 😍 (blue tit, we didn’t count the coal tit). #TheGreatEggRace @BagleyNestboxes @ClaireBranston @MadingleyBirds @WythamTits @Phenoweb_Scot

@Phenoweb_Scot @ClaireBranston The only eggs we have are coal tits 😮. Second year running we have them in our boxes. No blue tit eggs yet though.

@ClaireBranston @StA_Nestboxes Great stuff. None for us yet, so definitely not one of our earliest years

A first egg was found yesterday (30-3) in Oosterhout, one of our long-term field sites. That woolly layer will surely prove its worth in these frosty and even snowy conditions! #TheGreatEggRace @WythamTits @MadingleyBirds @StA_Nestboxes @AnneCharmantier @SPIbirds @MothProf

@WythamTits @AnimalEcol_NIOO @MadingleyBirds @AnneCharmantier @SPIbirds @MothProf Already! Is this your earliest date? We currently have 40+ nests that have started but no egg…. Yet!

@AnimalEcol_NIOO @MadingleyBirds @StA_Nestboxes @AnneCharmantier @SPIbirds @MothProf Breaking news coming soon…

@MothProf @SPIbirds @WythamTits @MadingleyBirds Just snails, slugs and earwigs in ours. Do have some building a nest though. Earliest yet! Very exciting.

Is anyone else finding a lot of harlequin ladybirds in their nest boxes? I mean I appreciate their polymorphism, but they were everywhere in Utrecht #TheGreatEggRace @SPIbirds @WythamTits @StA_Nestboxes @MadingleyBirds

Want to research nest building in birds w/ an amazing team (if I don’t mind saying so myself 😃)? PhD position opening with @cog_wild Prof Susan Healy and the wonderful blue tits @StA_Nestboxes findaphd.com/phds/project/e…

Bob is joined by @scedwards19 from @StA_Nestboxes We need you to submit #wildlife pics to bit.ly/3xCSVdQ or to backyardbioblitz@st-andrews.ac.uk with a location by Monday Feedback: bit.ly/3fL8jh7 @univofstandrews @KidsGoneWildUK @GreatSciShare @StABotanics

These beautiful blue tit chicks are nearly ready to fledge #ornithology #birdringing #fieldwork @StABotanics @scedwards19

Newly hatched blue tit. You can see it “flapping” it’s wings 😍 #ornithology #birdringing @scedwards19 @StABotanics

Hate AstroTurf/fake grass? Make it the law you have to get planning permission. One way to reduce the use 😃. Sign below. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/5774…

Sad news from @StABotanics this week, but Bob will be taking part in @GlobalSciShow at 4pm GMT tomorrow to cheer you up! Bob needs help with #BackyardBioblitz on the 4, 5 of June. To take part bit.ly/3xCSVdQ @univofstandrews @GreatSciShare @TCVScotland @KidsGoneWildUK

Bob's a Dad! Click the link to watch his family live @StABotanics Follow us for more fun nature content and to take part in #BackyardBioblitz on the 4th and 5th June. @GreatSciShare @univofstandrews @SchoolofBiology @nature_scot @STEM_Edin @StA_Nestboxes

Bob's back with his weekly reFLAP and there's been an intruder! Watch Bob live bit.ly/3x9T745 Here's the @IBIS_journal study about nests bit.ly/2S8UEap @ShokoSugasawa @scedwards19 @rowan_stanforth #ornithology @univofstandrews @SchoolofBiology @GreatSciShare

Today Bob tells us about his love life and weasel pee @StABotanics Like the video, follow us and help Bob with the #BackyardBioblitz wildlife survey on the 4th and 5th June bit.ly/3xCSVdQ @GreatSciShare @univofstandrews @SchoolofBiology @nature_scot @STEM_Edin

I’m happy to say I became a mother (for ~350 time) yesterday. @StA_Nestboxes have their first blue tit chicks of the year 😍. Fingers crossed for many more #ornithology #TheGreatEggRace

Want to know more about birds, nests and producing chicks? Log in on Thursday for this hysterical update all happening @StABotanics where we do our research. Unfortunately it’s not a blue tit, but it’s the next best thing - a great tit #ornithology #Springwatch #CitizenScience

Meet Bob, he's a Great Tit and every Thursday in the run up to #BackyardBioblitz he'll be telling you what he's been up to over the last week @StABotanics Watch Bob and his family live bit.ly/3x9T745 @univofstandrews @SchoolofBiology @nature_scot @STEM_Edin #EarthDay

@IBIS_journal @ShokoSugasawa @scedwards19 @rowan_stanforth Check out our new paper from our research project. A great way to study nest building without the yucky (and time consuming) job of pulling the nest apart #ornithology #nestbuilding

@GlasgowUrbanEco @Phenoweb_Scot Our first egg was 9th. Sorry been swamped with dissertations I’ve been poor on Twitter. Gutted you guys beat us by a day! This year beat our record by 6 days. Have 2 nests (out of 88) with eggs. Ramped up building this week so should see more soon.

Our team are back out checking nestboxes along our urban rural gradient, and we've already found our first egg! Laid on 8th April, five days earlier than last year! How does this compare to the east of Scotland @Phenoweb_Scot & @StA_Nestboxes?