Blue Tits - sudden loss of..

[Stan0406]

I had 7 eggs in my blue tit box - 6 eggs hatched - 1 died shortly after, but really really sadly the other 5 babies have suddenly died.  4 died yesterdsay, and although the last one appeared to be really strong, that one died too this morning.  Mum has removed 1 from the box, but keeps coming and sitting on the remaining ones - she has even come in with food.  It is really sad to see - but I suppose it is nature.
The thing that is such a mystery is - why they have all died.  I know it has been cold and wet - but I wouldn't think that would kill them off.  I aso wondered if Mum had fed them something poisonous, but she appears to be fine. 
Am hoping that mum may clear the box, and have some more eggs, but I do feel it is quite late in the season for this to happen.

Just wondering if any one else knows of any other reasons why they have all sadly died.

[Stan0406]

[decrepit]

Someone I know had exactly the same happen to the six babies in his nextbox.   He was wondering if it had got too warm in the box (happened just before this cold and wet spell) - he has moved his box to a shadier spot - but he is just as perplexed as you as to what actually happened.

[Stan0406]

Box is very shaded, and nestles snuggly between ivy, so not sure if this is the reason.  Have always had tits in the box before, and although has been very warm this year, I am sure that we have had warm weather before - a real mystery like you say.
Thanks for taking time to answer.

[cazy]

I usually see lots of blue tits in my garden, but this year have only had a fleeting glance of a few.  I wonder if the use of slug pellets has any thing to do with their decline.  Having recently been lucky enough to get an allotment, I've noticed that all tenants use slug pellets liberally.  I worry that the parents pick up the dead slugs and feed them to their young.  I found to my cost that the use of slug pellets decimated the frog population in my garden and no longer use them.  (I drown them in beer instead, what a way to go).  If I use slug pellets on my plot, I cover them in fleece and remove dead slugs.  I notice that open plots with pellets have no dead bodies lying around.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Slugs are a bit big for tits. It could be something to do with the weather we've been having.

[Carol]

Blue tits are supposed to rely on a certain caterpillar for feeding.  They judge their breeding around the availability of this caterpillar.  I noticed last year when I had blue tits nesting in the box that they were back n forward to just the one tree in my garden.  Sometimes one of them crossed over to a tree at the other end of my garden but it was mostly the flowering cherry.  The feeding of their young was constant, don't know how they keep going.  I think your problem has been the weather and the lack of food available to them.   Better luck next year.  They only have the one brood!!!

;)