Long-Tailed Tits

A week or two ago Zoe and I were in her bedroom when she pointed out a flock of small birds flitting about in the chestnut trees in front of our flats.  I immediately recognised them as long-tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus). We leant against the window-sill and watched them as they 'leap-frogged' each other round the trees, presumably looking for things to eat.  Just when you think you have seen them all, a straggler swoops in from another tree. Flocks of long-tailed tits remind me of loose clusters of stars like the Hyades where most of the members are travelling as a concentrated ball of stars, but there is also a loose association of outliers that are travelling in the same direction.

Comments

[Thomasin]

I'm glad you put the latin name, cos my bird book is all in Italian. The long-tailed tit goes by the name of Codibugnolo, and the book gives two varieties, a northern one and southern one. I haven't seen any here, but we had some very cheeky Great tits (I think; Italian Cincia allegra, Latin Parus major) who enjoyed eating peanuts from our kitchen window sill last year when it was all snowy on the ground. In fact if I didn't put the goodies out when I went down to breakfast, they would do a dance in front of the window to remind me. I think they've just come back. Where have they been all summer? Is it possible they are the same birds as last year?