I remembered to charge my camera and despite the awfully dirty windows, I was able to get some photos of the some of my garden birds feeding off my homemade fat blocks. According to my memory and to my “Collins Gem Mini Book of Garden Birds” that my daughter Jess got me for Christmas, I’m confident of three species, Great Tit, Blue Tit and Marsh Tit BUT in one photo there appears to be a couple of birds perched on top of the arms of the black feeding pole that I am unsure of. Could they be Long Tailed Tits? What do you think? C xxxx
***Comment by Sue: Yes definitely Long Tailed Tits. I did a whole post about them earlier in the week. https://attheendofasuffolklane.blogspot.com/2023/01/long-tailed-tits.html
It seems like the bird above isn’t a Marsh Tit but likely a “Black Cap”. Thanks to my friends Paul and Allan over on my Facebook page!
Yes, they look like Long Taileds to me. In a previous address of mine (an upstairs studio flat in a Victorian house) I had big trees coming up to my window, and many birds would come to the window will for seeds and bread. in the winter I used to hang bird peanut bags and fat balls in the trees. During one summer I used to put peanut butter on toast out on the window sill for a pair of Long Taileds who would come each morning! When winter came they would go to the fat balls. There was also a hedge at the front of the house. The pair of Long Taileds one afternoon were sitting in it and looking at me as I came out of the house. They were quite bold for little birds. I think they recognised me as the human who gave them food. Such sweet little things!
What a lovely memory/story! It always amazes me how spindly their legs are..the bones must be so tiny! Lovely little birds! Xxxx
Thank you it was! I also remember one late afternoon/early summer’s evening I was sitting on my sofa (probably having my after dinner coffee) when suddenly there was the very loud sound of about 70 tweeting birds. I looked out the window to see a huge flock of Long Taileds flying around one of the trees.
Since I had read that they eat midges and tiny flies I presumed that was what they were doing.
Yes they must have tiny delicate bones. Long Taileds are one of my faves!
Awww how lovely! What county do you live in? It must be something else to see so many of them like that!! Xxxx
I was in Merseyside, living near a park. I saw so many birds nears those trees during the time I lived there: a Tree Creeper, magpies, and one magical day a mother Rook came with her fledgling teaching him/her how to fly and going away and coming back with food and feeding the youngster beak to beak. It was enthralling. I’d got rid of TV when I moved there, but who needed TV with all this real wild bird life outside my window? Then there was Nutkin the Squirrel who came to my window every morning for nuts, for about 3 years….
Oh how wonderful, I love sitting and watching wildlife, nature is so amazing! I love watching squirrels move their babies from one nest to another….xxxx
I’ve never seen squirrels move their young. That sounds cute!
Oh and there was Tweet the Robin who I also fed, and she would hop near my feet when I came out of the front door. She seemed to recognise me as the one who put out food on my window sill and hing nuts in the trees. But months later I found out that she’d been flying into through the window of the Buddhist man who lived on the top floor and dancing on his work top each morning! ( His studio was one bed/sitting room with built in kitchen). I asked him if he gave Tweet her breakfast, but no, he’d never fed her. She must’ve just liked him.
I don’t know about tit birds at all but I sure appreciate these lovely photos! Beautiful birds! Hope this week on rations is going well. xx
Thanks Margaret (got your message by the way and sending out journals this weekend). Xxxx Rationing going great! During the week it’s very samey diet wise but it works for me being in a full time job but hoping to bake a few things this weekend. I have lots to use up! Xxx C
I bake a lot less now due to the power bills and as power bills are becoming more of a problem have you considered using a hay box method to bake ? A crock pot/slow cooker makes a great job of baking at a fraction of the cost of oven baking and is especially good for heavier cakes using dried fruits as they tend to need longer cooking times.
This basic one can easily be tweeked to suit your pocket, pantry or tastes. I have used muesli in place of the fruit mix too as it was all I had in the pantry, it was successful but less sweet so I would add a couple of tablespoons of sugar next time.
Ingredients:
I KG dried fruit (I recommend mixed vine fruits or dates)
500 mls boiling water
250 mls flavoured carbonated liquid (lager or stout are good)
2 cups (about 300g) self raising flour (SRF)
1 egg or 2 egg cups of canola oil
Method
Pour the boiling water over the fruit and allow to soak fruit for 24 hrs.
Next day stir in liquid, egg and SRF, pour into pre-greased dish (use a cover) & slow cook for 6-8 hours, skewer test to check centre.
Look like long tailed tits to me too. We don’t get marsh tits here, but we do get the others. There’s a disused overflow pipe, which has broken off at the wall on a house behind me, every year bluetits nest in it, I love watching them and I think I am the only person who knows they’re there. They fly out of the nest and into my backyard to forage, but no birds will use my birdbath!
Yes definitely Long Tailed Tits. I did a whole post about them earlier in the week. https://attheendofasuffolklane.blogspot.com/2023/01/long-tailed-tits.html
Oh love your post!!! I will add that link to my post now! great photos and this blew me away! “The nests have been deconstructed and found to contain as many as 2,300 feathers and covered with up to 3,000 flakes of lichen and all constructed in as few as 3 days – busy little birds!” C xxxx
Yep, definitely long tailed tits