Blue tits nest in pathology gates

It's about time we had a bit of light relief and told some of our members' everyday stories (our inbox is always open)!

That's why we were glad to hear from Felicity Knights who reported that a pair of blue tits had hatched a plan to use a really unusual nesting site... the metal security gate of the NHS/SYNLAB pathology laboratory in Basildon.

This laboratory processes over 55,000 samples a day for patients in Mid and South Essex. It is incredibly busy so they were excited to see the pair nesting - although, it was also a concern. 

Even though blue tits are well-known for choosing cavities and small holes in tree trunks for nesting, no one would have guessed a pair would choose the heavy metal security gate post of a pathology laboratory in Basildon as their preferred nesting site. 

Jill Elliott, General Manager of Pathology First commented: 

We were delighted but also slightly concerned to see the blue tits choose this substantial metal gate post for their nest. We run a busy, 24/7 pathology service for two local NHS hospitals and over 180 GP surgeries. The security gate is constantly in use as people and delivery vans come and go throughout the day and night. The parent birds were accessing their nest using the hole in the locking system which is just over a metre from the ground, so they weren’t even out of the way. In addition, the heavy metal gate makes quite a noise as it closes so the nest must have vibrated each time but it clearly didn't put the birds off. I’m pleased to say the babies hatched and successfully flew the nest earlier this month. 

We have recently bought and fitted nesting boxes in the hope our former residents choose them over the gate post in the future. We also have a bin-diving squirrel who is regularly seen running across the perimeter fences carrying whole apples in his or her mouth.

We are glad to hear that the chicks have successfully flown the nest and that the safety standards in place at NHS/SYNLAB pathology can accommodate blue tits as well as high quality patient care!

And good luck with your pesky squirrel!