Blue tits' nest on campus webcam

The nesting box is home to a blue tit, five chicks and two eggs

Pictures from inside a bird box on Lancaster University's campus are being broadcast on the internet.

A camera was installed earlier this year, and soon afterwards a pair of blue tits - now joined by five chicks and two eggs - made it home.

The project was set up to provide a live resource for children to use in schools across Lancashire and Cumbria.

Lancashire councillor Vali Patel said it was a chance for young people to see nature close-up.

Baby birds

The cabinet member for schools said: "A few years ago, who would ever have dreamed we could be watching baby birds hatching in the nest.

"But this is great news for our pupils who will get the chance to see nature close-up, thanks to technology, and who may develop an interesting in birdwatching as a result."

Richard Du Feu, one of the engineers who installed the webcam, said: "This provides an excellent chance for children at schools to see the rapid growth of birds in the nest from egg to fully grown in under four weeks."

The project was set up on behalf of Cumbria and Lancashire Education Online (CLEO), a regional broadband consortia made up of Cumbria County Council and Lancashire County Council.