…well I thought it was interesting II
on Jan 14 in Uncategorized by Dan
Hot on the heels of my last attempt to convey some recently gleaned information that caught my interest, I bring you the second in the series which in the months to come will be cited as the reason the readership of this blog dropped to zero.
As I’ve previously mentioned I have a new bird feeder set up directly outside our window, and now we have our new dining table set up there I’ve been able to do a bit of amateurish bird watching. There is a definite pecking order at the bird table. Of particular interest is the dominance that the great tit has over the blue tit.
At first glance these two species appear remarkably similar. Both birds are have a particular perchant for peanuts, both like deciduous trees, and both compete for the same sorts of nesting sites. The great tit is quite a bit more hefty than it’s cousin however, and so is able to see off any blue tit that dares to approach the bird table while it is dining.
Which begs the question how do blue tits survive? If both birds compete for the same food in the same places why hasn’t the great tit driven out the blue tit in much the same was as the American grey squirrel has driven out the European red squirrel? (bloody Americans).
The answer to the question is that the tits aren’t in competition at all. The blue tit forages for it’s food in the outer edges of a tree’s branches, where it’s small size and more acrobatic abilities give it a natural advantage, while the great tit concentrates more on the core of the tree. The great tit’s heft and bulk only provide it with an advantage in the artificial arena of the bird table, in the wild the blue tit has the upper hand.
So there you go, another post which has no interest to anyone other than myself. At least the sheer amount of times I’ve mentioned the word tit should get me a few hits from google.
Related posts:
- …well I thought it was interesting
- Tuppence a bag
- For the birds
- Long, but interesting.
- I’m not a pheasant plucker I’m a pheasant plucker’s son
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Our bird feeder is subject to frequent attack from a bunch of killer commando squirrels who know no fear.
American grey squirrels no doubt. Bloody Americans.
Prepare for an onslaught of search engine results for “tit”.
isn’t the bird on the right a chickadee? or did we americans do something to stricken the word “chickadee” from your bird books.
ok, how do i get out of this one?…
i looked all birds up on google images. it appears the great tit and the chickadee are very similar, but you are correct. i guess we don’t have great tits here in the upper midwest. ;o)
The comic potential of these birds names is virtually limitless. Add to that the word bird itself is English slang for a sexually attractive woman and you have struck comedy gold my friend.
Don’t give up on the birding. It’s a great hobby.
Hi Dan, Kerry ‘n’ weans!
How are you all?
Dan i must say that i absolutely love watching the goings on in our backgreen.
Weve had a robin who turns up with the same bit of fluff every day (miss sparrow),and they have a rare old time together at the feeders!
In the summer, we have a pair of green finches come to munch on the fare and i just get so excited watching all our little feathered friends.
I think ive gotten David into it too!
take care, Donna.xx
You are probably already aware but The Independent’s 20/01/07 and 21/01/07 issues have this with it! I’ve just bought myself a copy…Anyway, thought you might like to know.
Nat
Fantastic. I shall get a copy. I’m at work at the moment and we’ve spent an enjoyable five minutes listening to the free samples and quizing each other on what they are.
Cheers Nat