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

On 2013-04-21 16:31:07 +0100, Pam Moore said:

On Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:43:08 +0100, Sacha wrote:

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!

Did anyone else start singing "tit willow, tit willow, tit willow"?
None but G&S fans will know what I mean!

Pam in Bristol

Yes!
--

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

On 21/04/2013 18:40, Sacha wrote:
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.

The white streak makes me think it was a Coal Tit

On 21/04/2013 20:06, David Hill wrote:
On 21/04/2013 18:40, Sacha wrote:
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.

The white streak makes me think it was a Coal Tit

Forgot the link
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...psedc77951.jpg

"Stephen Wolstenholme" wrote in message
...

They look like overweight blue tits with much less blue and yellow.

Steve

They remind me of zebra finches, but without the black and white stripes or
large beak.

Willow tits and marsh tits are so similar it's not worth trying to differentiate.
If it's got white on it, it's not a black cap. Coal tits have a white stripe down the back of their heads which is obvious, and unmistakeable once you've seen it.

The Devon Bird Atlas says: " Likewise, both the National and Devon status of Willow Tit appear to have declined further and most local sightings of ‘black-capped’ tits perhaps now involve Marsh Tit."

On 2013-04-21 20:06:33 +0100, David Hill said:

On 21/04/2013 18:40, Sacha wrote:
snip

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.

The white streak makes me think it was a Coal Tit

And I think you're absolutely right! Thanks, David!
--

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

On 2013-04-21 22:16:45 +0100, kay said:

snip

Willow tits and marsh tits are so similar it's not worth trying to
differentiate.
If it's got white on it, it's not a black cap. Coal tits have a white
stripe down the back of their heads which is obvious, and unmistakeable
once you've seen it.

The Devon Bird Atlas says: " Likewise, both the National and Devon
status of Willow Tit appear to have declined further and most local
sightings of ‘black-capped’ tits perhaps now involve Marsh Tit."

I'm pretty sure David's correct and it was a Coal Tit. I'll look out
for it again but as it was a bit obscured by a climbing rose's stems,
we couldn't get a clear look at it. But the Coal tit sounds much more
likely. Thanks, Kay.
--

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

On Sun, 21 Apr 2013 18:01:49 +0100, "Bill Grey"
wrote:


"Pam Moore" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:43:08 +0100, Sacha wrote:

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!

Did anyone else start singing "tit willow, tit willow, tit willow"?
None but G&S fans will know what I mean!

Pam in Bristol


Oh! Piti Sing.

Bill

and maybe Yum Yum: maybe not in this case!

Pam in Bristol

On 22/04/2013 10:33, Pam Moore wrote:
On Sun, 21 Apr 2013 18:01:49 +0100, "Bill Grey"
wrote:


"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:43:08 +0100, Sacha wrote:

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!

Did anyone else start singing "tit willow, tit willow, tit willow"?
None but G&S fans will know what I mean!

Pam in Bristol


Oh! Piti Sing.

Bill

and maybe Yum Yum: maybe not in this case!

Pam in Bristol

Our Sparrow Hawk he say Yes very Yum Yum

On 2013-04-22 10:33:00 +0100, Pam Moore said:

On Sun, 21 Apr 2013 18:01:49 +0100, "Bill Grey"
wrote:


"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:43:08 +0100, Sacha wrote:

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!

Did anyone else start singing "tit willow, tit willow, tit willow"?
None but G&S fans will know what I mean!

Pam in Bristol


Oh! Piti Sing.

Bill

and maybe Yum Yum: maybe not in this case!

Pam in Bristol

A thing of rags and patches!
--

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

In article , nospamigg1937
@yahoo.co.uk says...

On Sun, 21 Apr 2013 11:43:08 +0100, Sacha wrote:

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!

Did anyone else start singing "tit willow, tit willow, tit willow"?
None but G&S fans will know what I mean!

No, but I did think it a strange material for a prosthesis.


--
Sam

Coal tits are massively more common than marsh tits and willow tits. They're in our garden every day, and bolder than the other tits in coming to the feeder and fats closest to the window. I can never get used to the idea that other gardeners may not have seen them - I must look up their distribution - maybe they're commoner in the north?

Long-tailed tits are another that we have daily in the garden, yet I know other people have never had them.

On 2013-04-23 08:49:49 +0100, kay said:

'Sacha[_10_ Wrote:
;981583']

I'm pretty sure David's correct and it was a Coal Tit. I'll look out
for it again but as it was a bit obscured by a climbing rose's stems,
we couldn't get a clear look at it. But the Coal tit sounds much more
likely. Thanks, Kay.
-

Coal tits are massively more common than marsh tits and willow tits.
They're in our garden every day, and bolder than the other tits in
coming to the feeder and fats closest to the window. I can never get
used to the idea that other gardeners may not have seen them - I must
look up their distribution - maybe they're commoner in the north?

Long-tailed tits are another that we have daily in the garden, yet I
know other people have never had them.

I don't recall seeing a coal tit here before, though we get great tits
and blue tits frequently. As you know, we saw long-tailed tits for the
first time last year (or maybe the year before, I lose track of time
here!) and we've seen bullfinches only occasionally. The blue tits
used to be here in huge numbers, then it declined and now seems to be
coming up again, at least a bit. Our most numerous birds are sparrows,
blackbirds, rooks, jackdaws and chaffinches. Last year, blackbird
numbers had dropped considerably but seem to be up again this year. We
often see or hear a woodpecker and there are lots of buzzards round
here too.
--

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

On 2013-04-23 09:38:43 +0100, Sacha said:

On 2013-04-23 08:49:49 +0100, kay said:

'Sacha[_10_ Wrote:
;981583']

I'm pretty sure David's correct and it was a Coal Tit. I'll look out
for it again but as it was a bit obscured by a climbing rose's stems,
we couldn't get a clear look at it. But the Coal tit sounds much more
likely. Thanks, Kay.
-

Coal tits are massively more common than marsh tits and willow tits.
They're in our garden every day, and bolder than the other tits in
coming to the feeder and fats closest to the window. I can never get
used to the idea that other gardeners may not have seen them - I must
look up their distribution - maybe they're commoner in the north?

Long-tailed tits are another that we have daily in the garden, yet I
know other people have never had them.

I don't recall seeing a coal tit here before, though we get great tits
and blue tits frequently. As you know, we saw long-tailed tits for the
first time last year (or maybe the year before, I lose track of time
here!) and we've seen bullfinches only occasionally. The blue tits
used to be here in huge numbers, then it declined and now seems to be
coming up again, at least a bit. Our most numerous birds are sparrows,
blackbirds, rooks, jackdaws and chaffinches. Last year, blackbird
numbers had dropped considerably but seem to be up again this year. We
often see or hear a woodpecker and there are lots of buzzards round
here too.

I had meant to add to this that yesterday we had lunch at a restaurant
on the banks of the River Teign, close to Newton Abbot. We saw the
resident swans but also one egret and many swallows. We saw two lonely
swallows scudding over the fields near us on Friday evening.
--

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