What is WildlifeByBilly!?

WildlifeByBilly is my YouTube channel which I have been developing over the last year or so!

I thought it would be a good idea to create a video showing some clips of the best footage I have captured over the last 18 months. I thought that it would be great for new viewers of my blog!

Here is my youtube link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMvjL6taQn4

Also, here are some stills that I didn't include in the video, but I would love to share with you!

I love the picture above because of the ripples and the simplicity of the colours. I took this picture in Derbyshire!

I also love this picture because of the 'v' shaped ripple effect trailing behind the Mallard duck!

With the bird breeding season well under way, I have only just realised that the lives of the blue tits and coal tits nesting in our garden are very interesting and some of the behaviour I have noticed is a first for me! I just need to find a way to film the coal tits nesting in a hole in our garage, as its a very awkward nesting site!

Please carry on watching my blog!

The hatched chicks and a new nest!

Here are the hatched chicks! They hatched a couple of weeks ago and are now growing feathers and even sometimes leaving the cup!

Here is the link to my youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwK1hR40zos


Today, I found a coal tit nest in a hole in a brick next to our garage! I can see a nest in there but no chicks yet!
When I have monitored it for longer then I will upload some footage! 
Remember to tune into BBC TWO tonight at 8:00 to catch the first episode of SPRINGWATCH......

1000 views on my blog!

Today, I have passed over the 1000 mark I wanted to reach! Thats over 6 views a day which is brilliant!

Today I finished off making my hedgehog feeding station/hibernation box! I even included a green roof into my final design! I placed it at the end of my garden next to my hedgehog hedge entrance! Here are a few pictures: 

As you can see, I wanted the hedgehog box to fit in to its surroundings, and thats why I created a green-roof for the lid of my box! 

This picture is a inside view from the entrance!

Here is the inside of my hedgehog box. I will place a camera in the top right corner of the box.

Left: Hedgehog entrance     Right: Hedgehog box and feeding station!

Hedgehog Heaven!

Also, today I made a hair dispenser for the bird building their nests!

Here it is:

My blue tit chicks are developing their feathers and are so loud that you can hear them inside the house!! They are expected to fledge Tuesday the 4th of June. It has been so fun watching them grow up!

So, who is looking forward to SpringWatch?!

SpringWatch starts next Monday and I can't wait! It give me loads of new ideas for my garden and I also love watching all their live webcams. Hopefully the weather will improve for it! Also, I can't wait to see WildlifeKate featured.

It's half-term, finally! Here are some of the many projects I will be doing:

1. Finish making my hedgehog feeding station & installing a live webcam!

2. Continue with my wildlife pond.

3. Search for nests in my area to monitor!

4. Plant some bird seed so I can eventually use it for my bird feeders! (and not have to buy it)

5. Make a squirrel feeder!

Also, in the holidays (half-term & summer) I have got some volunteering work at a nearby farm and a wildlife rescue centre! I am looking forward to it :)

Manic Feeding!

My bird box camera is loosing quality everyday, so I will have to look into that when I take the bird box down to clean later on in the year. The parents of these 6/7 chicks are manically relaying back and forth between a budding apple tree and the nest! There are 6 or 7 hungry chicks in there and there is no time for a break. Also, I have seen some very strange behaviour today; the female blue tit has been trying to fly through our glass windows. I don't know why this is but I will try and find out...

Here are a few pictures of the 5 day old chicks!

(LEFT: MALE, RIGHT: FEMALE)

(THE CHICKS)

Although the quality isn't great I'm sure you can see what is going on!

Here is a short video:

(FEMALE FEEDING THE CHICKS)

(THE CHICKS WANTING MORE FOOD!)

I really don't know what has gone wrong with the camera as at the start of the year it was much clearer! I think next year I am also going to add a opaque window to let some daylight in! And hopefully let the camera switch to colour mode! Overall though, It is great to be able to watch these birds!

CHICKS HATCHING!

I returned home from school today and I found 3 little chicks on the nest box live feed! They hatched in the day and the rest will begin hatch over the next day or so. I've got some brilliant feeding footage and it's great to be able to watch the beginning of these little blue tits lives! 

My nest box is in a brilliant view from my kitchen window and so I can get very close to the action without disturbing these birds! I have still got all my different bird seed going and I have also got straw and hair in my nest materials feeder (for the late ones!)

I will hopefully upload some of the footage in the next few days! Thats if I'm not constantly hooked on watching the TV!

WOW! WHAT A WET WEEKEND!

What a wet weekend it has been! However, this did not stop my little blue tit pair continue to incubate! Also, with the use of Skype, I can now view my bird box from inside (with the live camera) and the outside (with Skype!) It is brilliant to watch the birds outside the bird box without disturbing them too much! The 9 chicks are expected to hatch on wednesday this week, and I will try to upload some footage as soon as possible! 

The wet weather has been great for all of my plants though! I have now got strawberries, black currants, gooseberries and raspberries growing in my fruit patch! Last year, I was able to make 3 concentrated blackcurrant juice which tasted great!

I have planted out 8 potato plants and 3 lines of carrot too!

My lettuce, which I planted only last weekend, has begin to grow and I'm sure it will grow rapidly from now on!  

My grape vine is doing well and has know got many new leaves growing! Hopefully I will get some grapes this year....

I bought some tomatoes and a pepper today which I will plant in grow bags (in the greenhouse) very soon!

Everything is going well, i just hope the weather improves!

Jack and Jill!

Our female blue tit continues to incubate her eggs and the male is still fetching food for her! The chicks the expected to hatch next wednesday and then fledge 2 weeks or so after that! Pity I will be at school on both those days!

My homemade bird box attracted a couple of blue tits too, however they soon left after a few days of building their nests. Hopefully I will have some more luck with my other boxes next year! It is still a great achievement to have my camera bird box in use and I will continue to be fascinated by thesebirds behaviour! So, keep an eye on my blog!

Blue Tits Incubating and feeding!

Yesterday I saw the male feeding the incubating female for the first time! Also, the female has laid another 3 eggs, making a total of 9! The female keeps having a occasional rest from incubating too! 

The chicks are expected to hatch on the 16/05/13 and are expected to fledge on the 04/06/13! Its going to be an exciting few weeks!

BLUE TITS INCUBATING EGGS!

02/05/13- I'm VERY excited today! This is because when I came home from school I found the blue tit incubating around 6 eggs! I have a short video on my 'bird boxes 2013' page! The video also has some interesting behaviour! I will keep you undated....