This wonderful picture of a blue tit nesting in a wall mounted ashtray in Easthill Park was taken by the city park ranger who looked over it to ensure the family’s safety.
Paul Gorringe first spotted the chick and its four siblings in the ashtray outside the Portslade park’s toilets three weeks ago.
He kept a close eye on the nest, putting up a sign to warn people not to use it as an ashtray, and a few days ago, he was lucky enough to catch the chicks leaving the next on camera.
He said: “I saw both parents going in and out with caterpillars and other bugs. I thought about attaching a sign to the ashtray, asking people not to use it, but decided against it as it obviously hadn’t been used for a while and I was concerned that a sign would draw people in to look, thus disrupting the food deliveries from mum and dad, with the worst-case being that they could abandon the nest.
“I checked in on them weekly and all seemed well, however last week we received an email from a member of public, urging us to attach a sign. By this time I knew the chicks would soon be ready to fledge so didn’t see much harm in it, so I made a small sign and attached it to the box.
“I then noticed a young-looking blue tit in a bush nearby, so I checked the box and there were only four left. I grabbed my camera and gently tapped the box and a chick jumped up, perched on the opening and then embarked on its maiden flight, albeit clumsily.
“I followed it onto a nearby bush, then returned to the box, tapped it again and another jumped up, perched and flew. Then the third! The last one resisted so I left, and upon returning the next day the nest was empty.
“So, a great success. Also, my presence would have deterred any local magpies (who regularly ambush and eat the chicks of smaller species as they fledge) from intercepting the fledglings, so they had an armed guard!”
