Long-Tailed birds

Unfortunately, it looks like we have waved goodbye to the warm weather that we have had this week. On the positive side, I still have some photos to show you that I took on Thursday evening when the light levels were fantastic. The birds that visited are all fairly common birds, but it was nice to see the Long-tailed Tit return again. Actually, there was a bit of a long-tailed theme with the visiting birds on Thursday. Chaffinches and Magpies (both long-tailed birds) were present for much of the time I was outside.

I do like the photo of the Long-Tailed Tit in the photo below. I must say that it is a little bit weird though. The bird looked straight at me whilst I took a photo of it, and the rest of the body was nearly hidden from view, so the shot just shows the head of a Long-Tailed Tit-strange, I know. I don't think I can think of any other garden bird that can hang upside down like the tiny and agile Long-Tailed Tit. I also can't think of any other garden bird that has a beak small enough to finish off the tiny, tiny bits of fat left in the fat feeder.

The Chaffinches have to be the highlight of the evening though. The male Chaffinch, which is in all of the photos below was in the garden for the longest time, choosing the best opportunity to take a sunflower heart or 2 from our fairly new feeder. If anything, the light may have been too bright as it reflected off the feeder. The males are so brightly coloured at the moment that they are some of the most colourful garden birds at the moment.

I always find it funny to watch them struggle to grip on to the feeder perches. They look some of the most awkward garden birds as they feed, very much unlike the Long-Tailed Tit in the first photo. Apparently, Chaffinches are one of the most common prey items of the Sparrowhawk. This really doesn't surprise me. They don't seem to mind feeding with other birds and aren't quite so quarrelsome and bossy as the Greenfinches.

Just before I was about to go inside, a pair of Magpies dropped in for something to eat. It amazes me how they are able to squeeze onto the bird table like they did in the 2 photos below. I reckon its that long tail that gives them the balance needed to hang on the bird table so easily. The smaller Collared Dove really struggles to get a grip on the table. The good light just shows the amazing colours on the feathers of the Magpie too. They may be troublesome, but they are fantastic birds to watch.

In the photo below, you will see the Magpie look straight at you... just like the LTT photo at the top of the post. Scary stuff!

The Blue Tit just seemed happy to sit in the apricot tree watching the birds feeding and the sunset. I wonder if this is our nesting female. If so, did it go into the nestbox shortly after this photo was taken to roost for the night?

So there you have it... I won't be posting again until at least Monday, because I am going down to the south coast to see my Grandma for the weekend. I should be going to a nature reserve on Saturday morning for the easter bird challenge, so I'll look forward to posting on that.