TWO TITS SURVIVE BIG NATURE

At the end of 2024, we had the opportunity to camp for two weeks next to the dry riverbed of the Gurumanas River at Steinheim Private Game Farm in Namibia.
Within minutes of setting up camp, we noticed the interesting fluttering of an Ashy Tit in the Acasia tree next to our tent. Another one appeared and then disappeared just as quickly. Only then did we notice the small hole in the trunk of the Acasia tree. We have found the nest of an Ashy Tit breeding pair.
During the first week, the male would collect food and wait outside the nest for the female to come and collect the food from him, before entering and feeding the babies in the nest.
By the second week, the male and female were both collecting food and feeding the insects and worms as a healthy diet to the little ones, as well as sharing the task of removing fecal sacs from the nest.
The Khomas Hochland area has been subject to arguably its driest spell in a 100 years. Great was the relieve one afternoon when the heavens opened and even the river was subject to a flash flood. To our relieve, the tits were still going at it after the storm.
The next morning we noticed a change in behaviour of the two adults. Earlier on the feeding carried on normally, but by 08h30 the adults would be sitting with food outside the nest, as if enticing the small ones to come out of the nest. Within minutes a juvenile's head appeared and then the whole body, before flying from the nest, all within seconds. The juvenile ended 15 meters away on the ground and one adult sat nearby in a shrub to coax the small one nearer to safety.
And a small while later the second juvenile appeared, dropped a fecal sac and then edged up to the tree, up the trunk to higher safety.
That afternoon a Southern Grey-Headed Sparrow became interested in the nest, but before she could enter, one of the adult tits returned to chase the sparrow away. The tit then returned again with food, entered the nest and left with an empty beak. So there had to be another juveniles in the nest.
That night another massive rain storm erupted, leaving 60mm in the catchment area. The subsequent flash flood in the river came within two meters of our tent before subsiding.
The next morning one of the adults returned again with food, but left within seconds without leaving any food behind, not to be seen again there after. We do not know, but assumed that the remaining juvenile might have drowned in the nest the previous night.

[@jackquelineosborne5393]

Aah, so sad that the baby didn't make it. Jax