On 2013-04-21 18:32:57 +0100, David Hill said:

On 21/04/2013 12:56, Sacha wrote:
On 2013-04-21 12:04:10 +0100, Pete said:


"Sacha" wrote in message ...

We had our first g&t of the year in the garden yesterday evening and
saw what we think is the first ever willow tit here. What a special
occasion!



Indeed !
Fraid - I always have trouble differentiating between the various
varieties
of tits. What are the defining visual factors of this willow variety ?

Regards
Pete

Smaller, mostly black and white with no blue or yellow on them. Look a
bit scruffy! It's very like a marsh tit, or so I gather but we have no
marshes near here, so.....!

Trying to sort Willow tits from Marsh tits, isn't easy.
This article helps, esp the 2 pictures, and if you compare the pic of
mine of the Black cap fluffed out it gets even harder
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...psc935b2c9.jpg

The Black cap has a longer beak and the cap is a little more on the top
of the head.
David

This is very tricky. It was hard to see this bird really clearly as it
was darting in and out of the climbing rose where the feeders hang.
We're both clear it was black & white with no colour that we could see.
I *thought* it had a white streak over the eye but can't see that on
anything I've hunted for on web sites so I think my vision of it was
too obscured to be certain. WHEN the sun returns and we go back to a
'drink in the garden before supper', we'll have another look for it. We
seem to be having a few previously unseen avian visitors this year and
last.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk