Fledging to Flying - How Long? (1 Viewer)

[Weather77]

Hi everyone,

Our very small brood of Blue Tits (just two chicks) left their nest box sometime before 9am Sunday 4th June (it is now 10.30pm on the 5th June here in the UK). I saw them trying out their wings yesterday and they were only able to lift themselves a few inches into the air. One of the chicks has since disappeared - maybe it flew off but the parents are still around tending to the remaining chick and we have not heard the missing one calling. The remaining chick is still apparently unable to fly more than a few inches and it has now been around 36 hours since it left the nest. Is this normal? How long does it normally take newly fledged chicks to learn to fly so that they can get into trees and safety?

We are just watching and letting nature take its course. I asked my neighbours if they might like to keep their cats in for a few days so that is one less danger. I have seen squirrels around too and they may take chicks I've read. It's an anxious time, we can't wait for it to take to the trees.

Weather

 

[KnockerNorton]

If they fledged naturally at about 18-22 days old, then they will be able to fly immediately, and quite well too. They may just be naive at the moment and not really want to fly much, so that the family isn't dispersed and the parents still feed them - they don't want to get lost. If they really cannot fly, then perhaps they fledged early due to disturbance? If their tails are an inch long, then they're fine and they know what they're doing. If they're very short and stubby, like half and inch long, then they maybe fledged early (on perhaps 15 days old), if they had a scare in the box. A fledgling blue tit's chances of making it to the following spring is about 3 in 10, so the odds are against them from the off. You have to be aware of that fact when you put boxs up - very many don't survive for long. It's all perfectly normal and natural.

 

[mrfixit]

blue tits

we had a nest box which had 6 chicks they all flew the nest between 1030&1100 04/06/06 3 were caught by cats straightaway i rescued 1 but the other 2 were killedthe other 3 plus the 1 i rescued flew into apple,birch,&ash trees which are in our garden.

 

[Weather77]

Chicks

we had a nest box which had 6 chicks they all flew the nest between 1030&1100 04/06/06 3 were caught by cats straightaway i rescued 1 but the other 2 were killedthe other 3 plus the 1 i rescued flew into apple,birch,&ash trees which are in our garden.

Our remaining chick disappeared that night or early the following morning. I am sure I heard it in one of our trees and I saw a parent hanging about in the area so I hopeful the chick made it