Long-tailed Tit

Aegithalos caudatus

You always know when these are close by for they always announce their visits with quite a high-pitched ruckus. These were quite young birds which attended my feeder, and there was about three altogether, from what I could see.

This tit has a very long slender tail and a rounded body, and in the winter months it can particularly look plumped up. It has a dull buffish underside, a mixture of pink and brownish back plumage, a dull white head with a black band leading from the eye, and a tiny bill. The eyelids are usually quite bright reddish-orange, and they turn yellow depending on their mood. The juvenile has black and white plumage, and lacks the pinkish tones of the adult bird. They grow up to 15cm (6in) long, and this includes its tail.

They form the most amazing nests constructed from lichen, moss, cobwebs and feathers which is rounded and elastic allowing it to move as the chicks  grow in side. They site this in a thorny bush, and in 1 brood they lay between 8-12 eggs between April and June. They can live for up to 3 years.

The Long-tailed Tit feed in groups, taking small spiders and insects from twigs and leaves, and also will eat a few seeds. Increasingly visits garden feeders.

They are seen all year round, and are found in deciduous woodland with bushy undergrowth and scrub, and tall well established hedgerows. This is a common and widespread species across Britain, except for the far north and west of Scotland.

Photographs of juvenile Long-tailed Tits (Aegithalos caudatus), taken July 2016, on bird feeder, rear garden, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D3200, with Nikon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens.

07/1607/16 by Peter Hillman Categories: Animals (Vertebrates), Birds, Garden, Garden Birds, Nature PhotographyTags: Aegithalidae, Aegithalos caudatus, Bird, Birds, Long-tailed Tit, Nature, Nature Photography, Tits, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography 2 Comments

Calling For Mum

Great Tit (Parus major)

I was out in the garden this morning when I heard the tits in the trees. There was quite a lot of chatter, so I gathered a family had arrived. And I saw an adult Great Tit come down to my feeder, take some fat nibbles, then disappear into the high boughs, all happening quite quickly I did not even get a chance to get a  photo. This happened a few times. but the juveniles must have got impatient for they came down to help themselves in the end. And although the light was not particularly good, I managed to get some shots in.

It is a large colourful bird with a distinctive shiny black head, and a thick black stripe down the bright yellow underside. It also has a white cheek patch, blue-grey wings and a grey tail with white sides. The females sports a narrower black stripe down the underside. The juvenile has yellowish cheeks and a dull greenish-black head.

It mainly feeds on the ground compared to the smaller tits, eating insects, seeds, berries, and nuts. It forms a nest of a cup of moss, leaves, and grass in a natural hole such as a woodpecker hole or a nest box. The female lays 5-11 eggs in 1 brood from April to May. They can live for up to 3 years.

Seen all all year round, and found in a wide variety of habitats, including woodland and parks. They are a bold and aggressive species, and are well-known almost anywhere, being one of our most familiar garden birds. It is a common visitor to bird tables and feeders. Common and widespread throughout the UK, except the Northern and Western Scottish Isles where it is absent.

07/1607/16 by Peter Hillman Categories: Animals (Vertebrates), Birds, Garden, Garden Birds, Nature PhotographyTags: Bird, Birds, Garden Birds, Great Tit, Nature, Nature Photography, Paridae, Parus major, Tits, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography 2 Comments

Blue Tit

Cyanistes caeruleus

These have to be one of my favourite small perching birds. I am fortunate to have them regularly visit my garden and to be able to watch them feed. I often hear them singing in the trees.

A colourful and joyful garden visitor, this small bird has blue wings and tail and a green back. It has a bright yellow underside, and a distinctive black eye stripe on a white face with a blue crown.

They feed on various insects, especially caterpillars which are full of protein, and spiders, nuts and seeds. In the spring it feeds on pollen and sap, whilst in the autumn it feeds on berries. It often visits bird feeders.

They nest is a small cup of moss, hair and dead leaves lined with down in a tree hole or a nesting box. Lays 7-16 eggs in one brood  from April to May. The fledglings hatch when the caterpillars are more abundant. They can live for up to 3 years.

Seen all year round, in woods of all kinds, also parks and gardens, and bushy places. Common and widespread across the UK except for some Scottish islands.

Photographs taken January and February 2014, rear garden, Staffordshire.

07/1607/16 by Peter Hillman Categories: Animals (Vertebrates), Birds, Garden, Garden Birds, Nature PhotographyTags: Birds, Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, Garden, Garden Birds, Nature, Nature Photography, Paridae, Tits, Wildlife, Wildlife Photography 2 Comments