Follow-on: my garden's tits have returned to their nest despite the previous, gory affair and laid seven eggs, five of which have turned into five healthy-looking soon-to-be-fledglings. This is a much better outcome than I could have hoped for, given the rather sweltering summer we've been having. The parents haven't been as visible as previously, eschewing the sunrays to avoid getting cooked in midair -- thus making me worry (albeit unnecessarily, as it seems) about the chicks being fed regularly and properly.
Imgur folder
I have since changed my mind about the birds' identity. The plumage of these tits is much greyer, darker than the so-called
mésange charbonnière's (
Parus major), leading me to think that I'm actually dealing with family members of the
mésange noire (
Periparus ater) breed, AKA the
coal tit. There are, however, great tits (giggity!) with distinctively blue-yellow-white-black plumage visiting my garden and eating from my birdfeeder - but those are nesting elsewhere.
Anyway...less than week before final liftoff. Honestly, I dread that day - read my previous post as to why.