The one legged bluetit

As I've watched the birds who choose to eat with us outside our back door, I have come to recognise some of them as individuals. I expect you know how I recognise this delightful little bird.

It has a harder life than most of the many other tits, because it can't easily perch on our various feeders and then also bend to eat from the receptacles. It has learnt to wait for the area top be clear of other birds as often they come and barge into it to knock it away. They are very competitive for the scarce resources, even though here they aren't so scarce.

I first noticed it when it was hopping around the areas beneath the feeders where it could stand on soil and grab stray seeds and bits broken off them by chomping bullfinches. I've taken to dropping stray seeds and suet pellets into out of the way nooks on the assumption that this bird may find them. 

It now seems less afraid of me and we eyeball each other as it perches precariously on sticks and branches by the door. The longtailed tits are also getting tamer. I walked out of the door without realising a long-tailed tit was on the feeder about two feet from me and it carried on munching with just a first glance at me and then food ruled.