Acrobats bounce by

I am used to hearing the busy bustle of Long tailed tits in the hedgerow and wet scrub woodland.. The flock is always in contact with the whispered calls and seemingly on a perpetual 'follow the leader' game.  No sooner than you see one bird arrive, they are on the move again, on a mission to pick small insects from leaves and bark.

Thanks a bundle ! (c. OOS)

The fact that these Long tails are largely insectivorous means they don't always present themselves at the feeders like the regular tit species.  This also means that these birds can suffer if the weather gets really severe.  They are among the smallest bird species we have: the tail alone accounts for 50% of the overall length of the bird.

Given the recent cold snap, I wasn't altogether surprised that a pair of Long tailed Tits popped onto our suet balls: high in calories, these balls of fat and nuts could really make a difference to the energy budget of a tiny bird (and only cost €11 for 50 balls form BirdWatch Ireland).  If you are putting out suet or fat balls, remove the plastic mesh and pop 4 or 5 balls into a hanging feeder designed for the job, again Mr. Murphy in BWI will be glad to help out on that one!

Long tailed Tit takes on calories for cold nights ahead.. (c. OOS)

Enjoy the sights in the garden, I've a feeling its going to be busy this week: we have doubled our Chaffinch flock to 25 birds..