Our birdbox has hosted a pair of tits this year. They are have been very busy sorting the nest out. Activity is less frenetic now, so we are assuming that eggs have been laid, maybe even chicks hatched ( although there are no tell tale chirps)
Today I learned something about the rawness of nature. I observed a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker sitting on the box and trying to get in. Googling the phenomen reveals that this is a regular thing. Woodpeckers have been seen predating nestboxes frequently. I’ve embedded a video below which shows a plucky tit defending its young. It’s an ugly bird eat bird world out there.
Further research on the web came up with an academic research paper on the topic. See a copy here.
It all comes down to the design of the nest box. It’s preferable to cover them with chicken net or similar to make the project more difficult for the woodpecker. I’m hoping that ours will be resistant enough, and that the tit family will flourish.
Otherwise our box is a food bank for carnivore woody woodpecker.