The new year dawned with sun and bright blue skies, but very cold. As usual the birds were very busy on the feeders and I managed to take a few photos.This little guy (or gal) always has me puzzled - it is a Marsh Tit or Willow Tit? They are both very similar. My book says that the Willow Tit is more scruffy looking, but this one is very neat and tidy. The Marsh Tit has a smaller black bib and the Willow Tit has a heavier head and neck. I think it is probably a Marsh Tit (Parus palustris) but I would value any opinions.
This Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopus Major) was also enjoying a good feed today.
4 comments:
My goodness! Your Marsh (or Willow) Tit looks a lot like the Chickadees that are found in our woods!
I don't know much about birds in the US, but I looked up Chickadees and they certainly seem to be the same family (Parus) as Tits in the UK.
I'm not that familiar with identifying many birds, but both birds that you posted are very pretty. It surprises me how very close up you can get to take those photos...even if you use a telephoto lens.
Maureen
Thanks for your comment. Mostly I take the bird photos through my kitchen window. The hanging bird feeder is about 4-5 metres from the window.
For the birds on the table, I moved the bird table much closer to the window before sprinkling on the food. The little birds are a bit nervous seeing me through the window, but it makes it easier to photograph them.
At one time I had a feeder stuck on the window, so the birds are really close. The problem with that is there is no way to stop the squirrels raiding the feeder. The squirrels used to sit on the window sill eating the bird food and would not stop even when I knocked on the window!
Post a Comment