Last week, I wrote about the increasing number of tit species that visit my forest feeding station (aptly renamed the Titty Inn) and how I hoped to be able to photograph Willow Tit and Coal Tit anywhere soon.
Well, things worked out better and sooner than I could have hoped for. Willow Tits have a bigger appetite for the sunflower seeds than any other bird species around, they just keep coming back for more. The Coal Tit that timidly watched the feeding frenzy from the safety of a spruce last week, now has found the confidence to book a table in the garden of the Titty Inn and has even invited a friend for dinner.
I find it very funny to watch the behaviour of the various tit species and how they go together (or don’t). Great Tits don’t like Blue Tits and Blue Tits hate Great Tits. Crested Tits cannot stand Coal Tits and Coal Tits try to avoid Crested Tits. Willow Tits couldn’t care less and happily move between their cousins.
Unfortunately, the groundwater level in my hide increases with the number of birds. I already had to wear Wellingtons to keep my feet dry, but now the water level has reached 20cm. Sometimes I forget about the water and cross my legs, therewith providing the icy water free access to the inside of my Wellingtons. Nobody said it was easy to be a nature photographer…
Willow Tit; Canon 1D Mark III w. 500/4 IS; 1/125s at F4 and ISO 400; Tripod from permanent hide.