Singing Its Spring Song

I saw the hashtag #NationalBirdDay on Twitter this morning so Jazzy dog and I went down the field looking for a bird to capture. A great tit was the most exotic we could find. I've since discovered that it was National Bird Day in America on the 5th January.

All the birds, apart from the robin, have been quiet but some are now starting to sing their Spring songs. People think the song of the great tit sounds like 'teacher-teacher'. A birding mate described it to me as being like a wheelbarrow with a squeaky wheel, I prefer that. Actually the great tit has a repertoire of over forty short calls. It is thought that these are used for territorial reasons to give the impression of many birds defending the territory.

The largest of our tits, also known as ox-eye because of its cheek pattern, is a bit of a bossy bully and has been known to kill and eat smaller birds. It has even been dubbed the Zombie Tit because it has been recorded in Hungary eating the brains of hibernating bats!

While I was photographing my great tit I could hear a collared dove cooing in its unmistakeable boring fashion. I wasn't bored, I find identifying the signs of the approach of Spring great sport. :)