Andrew Chick Ecology

Final Nestbox Check – Pied Flycatcher Season 2025

The final nestbox inspection of the 2025 breeding season – it always seems to go by so quickly. By my count, only six active Pied Flycatcher boxes (out of 13) remained to be checked:

• Box 27 – Three fully grown juveniles ringed; two dead chicks removed.
• Box 16 – All birds had already fledged – an entire brood missed!
• Box 39 – Six cold eggs; the nest had clearly been abandoned.
• Box 69 – One fully grown juvenile ringed; five dead chicks removed. The entrance hole had been enlarged by squirrels in the past, which had allowed water ingress…. (I will replace this box for the 2026 season)
• Box 72 – Five fully grown juveniles ringed.
• Box 83 – Two fully grown chicks ringed; one dead chick removed.

Season Summary – Pied Flycatchers 2025
This season, it appears that birds which arrived and bred early took full advantage of the fine weather in April and May, producing large broods and fledging good numbers. In contrast, birds that started later were caught out by the recent spell of cold, wet weather, and many lost chicks in the nest—likely due to reduced food availability.

In both 2024 and 2025, I recorded 13 active Pied Flycatcher nests.

• In 2024, I caught 2 adults (while incubating) and ringed 58 juveniles.
• In 2025, I caught 8 adults (again while incubating) and ringed 52 juveniles, although one entire brood fledged before I could ring them.

So, an average year for Pied Flycatchers near Hawkshead, based on two years data….

All monitoring was conducted under my BTO licence, and records will be submitted to the BTO Nest Record Scheme (NRS). These data are vital in helping track the effects of environmental pressures—such as habitat change and climate variability—on breeding success and fledgling survival in UK bird populations.

One of the Woodcrete nestboxes

Dead Pied Flycatcher chick – the result of water ingress into the nestbox….