The Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is probably one of the UKs most recognisable garden and bird feeder visitors. Their colourful mix of blue, yellow, white and green plumage makes them easy to identify. In winter (when bird feeders are at their most popular) they can be commonly seen in flocks, often associating with other similar small birds.
A very long time ago I worked on a nature reserve and we were banding / ringing around the bird feeders. By the end of the day we had banded close to 100 Blue Tits - along with two Great Spotted Woodpekers, and many other woodland birds. But what was remarkable was the number of un-banded birds that were still using the feeders. We estimated that no more than 1/3rd of the Blue Tits that were around the feeders, meaning that the total population utilising the feeders was bout 300 birds! Remarkable.
It estimated that there are over 4 million pairs of these birds in the British Isles, with Blue Tits being most abundant in woodlands that contain oak trees.
The Blue Tit belongs to a family of birds called the Paridae. Eurasian and African members of this family are referred to as "tits", while North American species are generally called "chickadees".
They are without question a delightful and popular little bird.
As you can see, some of these birds have been banded (although not by me!). These birds were feeding on the nut feeders outside of the main office of the RSPB reserve at Minsmere, in Suffolk. As these pictures were taken on late in the afternoon in mid-February I suspect the birds were feeding up for a long, dark and cold night.
As ever, to join in with WBW click on the link below. Cheers SM.
