I appear to have a constant daily tribe of blue-, coal-, and great tits ( together with a pair of nuthatches and a pair of great spotted woodpeckers ) hanging on the six variously filled bird feeders, plus a pair of robins, up to seven blackbirds, three pheasants, two jays, three magpies and eight or nine jackdaws feeding on the bird table and the spilled seeds on the ground …. is this a second brood or batch? what will happen to these little ones? Reply On more careful inspection, I found 2 possibly three new tiny babies, just hatched.įrom the 22nd May evening and up to this morning, it appears that only one of the adult is returning to the box at lengthy intervals. I cautiously looked into the box which at first appeared empty. The adult bird then disappeared and I thought that that was the last visit to the nest. I assume it was coaxing the last fledging out… this behaviour lasted about 2 hours. Later in the afternoon, one of the adults appeared making multiple visits to the box but not actually going in, just hopping from the hedge (2ft away) to the outside of the box, making chirping noises. On the 22nd morning there was no activity toward the box and I presumed that the youngs had fled. Strangely, I never heard the young ones making any noise as I always did in previous years.
I presumed they were feeding their young. On the few days up to and including the 21st May both adults were frantically visiting the nest every 25/40 seconds. I have observed a very strange behaviour with my blue tits this year. Sadly the lack of doorstep deliveries these days means the behaviour is now relegated to folklore. They were even known to identify which colour bottle tops indicated skimmed milk so they could avoid those, and to follow milk floats awaiting the delivery! A 1949 British Birds paper gives a fascinating account of the spread of this behaviour. By the 1950s they were recorded across the entire UK piercing the aluminium foils and successfully getting to the energy-rich cream, gaining a ‘viral’ fascination amongst the public. It was about 100 years ago when the ingenuity of Blue Tits raiding the cream on top of doorstep milk bottles was first recorded. A ‘roving tit flock’ survey by the Young Ornithologists’ Club recorded over 40 different species in such flocks.īecause of this behaviour of ‘passing through’ the area, there will be many more individuals visiting your garden than you ever see at one time. Other tit species including Long-tailed, as well as Chaffinches, Goldcrests and Treecreepers, may be in the flock of 10 – 20 birds or more, making soft contact calls to keep in touch. These may well pass through your garden, and hopefully dally a while if there is good feeding. In late autumn and winter, family flocks of Blue Tits often join up with other small birds as they search for food, forming ‘roving’ flocks. More facts about Blue Tits Roving tit flocks Place whole peanuts in a mesh container, and ideally hang more than one in different areas so that the shyer tits don’t get outcompeted by aggressive House Sparrows!Ī nest box with a small round entrance hole will encourage Blue Tits to nest in your garden, with the small hole preventing larger birds from using it. Peanuts and fat are the best foods for Blue Tits, especially during the winter. Blue Tit on peanut feeder © Susanne Jutzeler
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