“Short, stumpy legs, strong feet & small beaks.”
That is how one website describes members of the tit family. Of the seven or so tits native to the UK this article features the four most common, all familiar garden visitors.
Weighing a mere 8g the Long-Tailed Tit is the lightest of our foursome. Often seen in small flocks darting from tree to tree, they resemble fluffy lollipops. I managed to snap this one briefly perched on a bramble at Attenborough Nature Reserve (ANR) but I am currently seeing them regularly on our garden feeders. Mainly black and white with some pale pink feathers their tiny button eyes are set off by a distinct pink ‘eyebrow’.
Long-Tailed Tit
Slightly heavier at 9g the Coaltit, seen here gathering nesting material in the garden, is a little less colourful than the other tits. Grey wings contrast with a white underside merging with buff feathers towards the rear. Its main distinguishing feature is a black cap split by a broad white stripe on the back of the head. Incidentally, it is important to only supply natural materials for birds to gather for nesting. Wool fleece is ideal.
Coal Tit
The well named Bluetit is a little heavier at 11g but it is still a tiny bird. The picture shows one visiting a bird table at ANR. The blue cap and eye stripe contrast with white cheeks and blue wing and tail feathers merge with green plumage on the back and a yellow breast. They tend not to linger long at feeders, preferring to take a seed to a sheltered perch where they peck away at it held under one foot.
Blue Tit
Finally, weighing 18g, the Great Tit (photographed in our garden) is well named. This smart bird has blue/grey feathers on the back with distinctive wing bars. A dark bib extends down the pale breast and its black cap contrasts with white cheeks. Depending on various factors great tits can also have an all-over yellow hue.
Great Tit
It is not unusual for tits to gather in mixed flocks especially around a ready food source such as a garden bird table. With spring just around the corner now is the time to look out for this year’s crop of baby birds, the next generation keeping it Wild About Beeston.
More pictures by Beeston Birdman on beestonbirdman.blog