in praise of tits!

[dellzeqq]

it was funny when I was seven years old, and nobody's convinced me it's still not funny, so, hey, get over it........

about a dozen of these little sweeties whizzed in to the tree in the neighbour's garden, and, then, having got what they came for, whizzed off again to some more pressing appointment. Being a bird ignoramus (as TC will attest) I went to the excellent RSPB bird identifier thingy and found this...
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdidentifier/form.aspx
The long-tailed tit is easily recognisable with its distinctive colouring, a tail that is bigger than its body, and undulating flight. Gregarious and noisy residents, long-tailed tits are most usually noticed in small, excitable flocks of about 20 birds. Like most tits, they rove the woods and hedgerows, but are also seen on heaths and commons with suitable bushes

why is it that birds always seem to be having fun?

I wonder if the urban bird is making a bit of a comeback. There's a woodpecker at work somewhere over the back of our place, we've seen the most magnificent jay, parakeets zip about like teenagers flittering between housepartys, there's a family of swifts/swallows across the road (I told you that I was rubbish at birds), and last month a pigeon was attacked by a small hawk barely a metre from where Susie was sitting in our tiny back garden.

So, go birdies! They're a vivid reproach to our self-obsession, caring not one wit for fast cars or foreign holidays. They've no interest in the Euro, and less in the Champions League. They're as likely to poop on Bob Diamond as anybody else. Give them a few insects, or some smaller birds, and they're happy as Larry. And they're a lot safer than tomatoes!

Bird stories, reminiscences, or even snaps here, if you please.........

 

[Mad at urage]

why is it that birds always seem to be having fun?

... last month a pigeon was attacked by a small hawk barely a metre from where Susie was sitting in our tiny back garden.

So, go birdies! They're a vivid reproach to our self-obsession, caring not one wit for fast cars or foreign holidays. They've no interest in the Euro, and less in the Champions League. They're as likely to poop on Bob Diamond as anybody else. Give them a few insects, or some smaller birds, and they're happy as Larry. And they're a lot safer than tomatoes!

Bird stories, reminiscences, or even snaps here, if you please.........

I bet that pigeon was having fun! A few months ago (spring actually) a sparrow-hawk took a pigeon in our back garden: Watching the hawk recover from the impact before stripping its prey was fascinating.

Where we'll be moving to next year is inundated with red kites . Beautiful things!

 

[Fab Foodie]

I had a dear Aunt known as 'Tit' (was short for Theresa).

 

[Spinney]

How about starlings on a fat block...

 

[Fnaar]

I'm no twitcher, but I do enjoy looking at the little feathery things. We have a bird table in the garden which gets regular visits from "ordinary" birds like blue tits, sparrows, and a robin that hops about on the ground picking up the crumbs. The most exciting visitor (for me) was a nuthatch.

 

[Spinney]

Last winter, wandering round my local bird reserve (RSPB Leighton Moss), popped into one of the hides to look at the frozen lagoons. Just before I was about to leave, a bittern came out of the reeds. The pic below was taken using my small digital camera (ordinary 'snap camera') held to the eyepiece of the telescope of a proper twitcher!

 

[Archie_tect]

Heron raids the fish out of neighbour's garden... it's overcome all the protection he's devised so far!
Heron 3 - Neighbour 0

 

[ianrauk]

Share and share alike.

I managed to quickly grab my camera and get this pic just before the Sparrow flew off.
Taken in my back garden a few years back.

 

[Cheddar George]

A friend of mine used to moan about the constant battle with herons. Apparently one day the heron took on one of his larger koi carp, it managed to get in the air but couldn't hold on to it. Brian answered the doorbell to find the postman stood there trying to hold on to a large flapping fish that he had picked up off his driveway.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

 

[Cheddar George]

My dad was helping us out by collecting our kids from school, my mum had written him a note to put in the car so he didn't forget to collect them or to buy the bird food she wanted. He showed me the note .......... "pick up the kids fat balls".

 

[BluesDave]

Heron raids the fish out of neighbour's garden... it's overcome all the protection he's devised so far!
Heron 3 - Neighbour 0

Chap I knew up North made a wooden frame and stretched chicken wire or mesh over it. Light and air get in Herons and Cats don't.
Lovely photos by the way, lovely.

I'm a bit of a bird watcher m'self y'know, yep ..... me case comes up next week.

 

[Arch]

there's a family of swifts/swallows across the road (I told you that I was rubbish at birds)

Swallows have long tail feathers in a v shape. Swifts are like little scythe blades flying through the air, with short tails.

Or they might be Martins anyway.

We have loads of birds at the urban nature reserve where I work (obviously!). Tits of all sorts, sparrows, blackbirds, thrushes, woodpigeons, collared doves, chaf,green,gold and bull finches, a couple of pheasants, and (I've not seen it yet) a kingfisher on the beck. Not bad for something that was a landfill site 30 years ago.

 

[coffeejo]

That reminds me, I need to go out and fill up the bird feeders. The blue tits and finches have a turf war going on over the different fat ball feeders and all hell broke out this morning as the tits have finished theirs and were tucking into the finches'. Who are also cross because the bird seed needs refilling.

It's a good thing they're so entertaining. Bloody things cost me a fortune over the spring and summer when all the fledglings appear and stuff themselves silly.

 

[Glow worm]

We have loads of birds at the urban nature reserve where I work (obviously!). Tits of all sorts, sparrows, blackbirds, thrushes, woodpigeons, collared doves, chaf,green,gold and bull finches, a couple of pheasants, and (I've not seen it yet) a kingfisher on the beck. Not bad for something that was a landfill site 30 years ago.

Bullfinches sadly seem incredibly rare hereabouts these days. With regard to Del's swifts/swallows, my guess would be that they're more likely to be swifts as swallows are not often seen in cities. Swifts do that 'screaming' thing in groups, flying at high velocity in high summer. They come so close to our house here in summer, you can sometimes hear the wings slicing through the air.

Just up the road from here (Burwell Fen near Wicken) there's been an invasion recently of short eared owls from Scandinavia. Saw 10 there a couple of weeks back which was amazing.