![]() ![]() One left the nest yesterday and the other 5 have gone today, what a stirling job the parents have done. 7 eggs were laid with all of them hatching, one fell out of the nest early on and died but the other 6 have all thrived. Well to say it has been fantastic is an understatement. This year we had great tits again but after the trauma of last year we could only worry about what the outcome would be. We managed to chase it and it let go of the chick which flew into some bushes. One by one they died until only 2 were left which considering only the female was left was a good result however the last chick was caught by the neighbour’s cat as soon as it left the nest box. Shortly after the male stopped coming so we could only assume it had died leaving the female alone to feed them. Last year we fitted a camera to our nest box and to our delight great tits moved in. ![]() Toms, M & Stery, P (2008) ” BTO- Garden Birds and wildlife”, AA Publishing, Basingstoke, Hants Perrins, C (1979), “British tits”, Collins New Naturalist Series, London BTO Guide 23″, British Trust for Ornithology, Thetford Refs….Besides my own experiences and observations….Ĭhris du Feu, (1993), ” Nestboxes. Stuck for a Christmas present? Wanting to give your loved ones something different? Want more information about garden birds, feeding and nests go to : ![]() The difference in bill shape may not be as obvious to us as it is for a Curlew, where a male may have a bill as short as 83mm and a female as long as 167mm, but it’s enough to make a difference when it’s time to look for lunch. In winter feeding flocks, males and females will often feed in different ways, on different food items. Not only does bill shape change between seasons, there are also differences between the sexes, with males having chunkier bills, especially during the winter. The amount that the bill shape changes also seems to depend on the percentage of beech mast present in the winter diet, which is linked to availability. Their bills wear down during the course of the winter and grow in the spring. Stuck for a Christmas present? Wanting to give your loved ones something different? Want more information about garden birds, feeding and nests go to : ĭid you know that the bill of a Great Tit is longer in the summer than in the winter? Research by Andy Gosler and others has shown that winter bills are deeper and shorter, useful when tackling beech mast, whilst summer bills are narrower and longer, which makes it easier to grab insects. Just 10 feet away opposite the occupied great tit nest box a pair of blue tits successfully raised a family themselves. I have a family trying to sleep in here!” Blue tit shouting to neighbouring great tit family ” Hey keep the noise down will you. ![]()
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