Here he is. I had him 2 or 3 years, but then some upstart stole his territory a few days before his chicks were due to fledge. First he left, then a day or two later, his mate left and I could hear the chicks go quieter and quieter over the next few days. I was mute at the time and also too scared to ask my parents to ask the neighbours if I could retrieve the chicks and try to save them.

#birds #GreatTits #gardenbirds

New publication: Reactions of captive adult #greattits toward aposematic #prey: effects of #personality.
https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arag001
New publication: Female #chronotype relates to lay date but not #fitness in an island population of great tits. #greattits #laydate
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-025-05857-3

It seems they 🐦‍⬛+🐦know what they want + where to find it 🤣
I hang feeders random on hooks, don't really think about it doing so

4 feeders with different food: peanuts, fatballs, mixed birdfood and sunflower-seeds, peeled, 😋 easy to snack
Do they smell what's in there?
Does 1 make a choice and the rest follows?
Do they see 👓 what's in it? 🤣

#birds #birdsofmastodon #food #feeders #BirdFeeders #news #winter #snow #cold #narore #birdphotography
#bluetits #greattits #sparrows #smallbirdsfeeder #peanuts #winterfood #sunflower #eu #europe #us

Opmerkelijk... steeds gaan 🐦+🐦‍⬛ achter elkaar naar dezelfde feeder? Blijkbaar maakt 1 'n keuze> de andere volgen óf zouden ze ruiken wat er in zit?
Óf herkennen ze aan de buitenkant dat in de rechter feeder de meeste zonnepitjes zitten, gepeld, dus makkelijk en snel te snacken...?🤣

#vogels #Voeren #silo #tuinvogels #winter #sneeuw #pinda #zaad #zonnepitten #eten #snack #birds #vogelsvanmastodon #feeder #backyardBirdFeeders #news #snow #food #GreatTits #bluetits #sparrows

Hungry birds⛄ 🌡️ 🐦 🐦‍⬛ 🪶

The surroundings are filled with cushions, white &cold
So my little friends come on and on for seeds, peanuts and raisins

#birds #birdsofmastodon #food #cold #snow #weather #winter #world #EU #EUrope #bluetit #GreatTits #blackbird #nobots

https://photos.app.goo.gl/A4E65hKA4wvSkbmx5

Sonja Wild, Gustavo Alarcón-Nieto & @lucymaplin show that young #GreatTits, which have limited #ParentalCare, learn to solve a foraging #puzzle socially, but rather than parents, siblings & non-parental adults are preferred role models @PLOSBiology plos.io/46JZn6n