TITS!

 Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit and my favourite... Long Tailed Tit

I was able to get out for a couple of hours today to visit Mere Sands Wood where despite the biting wind the sun was shining  I was able to photograph a few different varieties of our beautiful birds.

These were all some distance away, at the limit of my lens in some cases nevertheless they are all rather nice.

Long Tailed Tit

 The long tailed tit is one of my favourite species of birds. They are very small and always on the move so very hard to photograph. I know these are not the sharpest images but I wanted to share them all the same since they are such gorgeous little bundles of cuteness. 

I could make excuses after all they were quite a way off, high above me and it was very cold so that combined with the fact that they hardly stopped still for a fraction of a second made it really challenging to get even these shots. However I wont make excuses and will simply admit they are not at the standard I would hope for and as always that will motivate me to go out and try to do better next time. And anyway they're not terrible and you can still see how lovely they are.

Long Tailed Tit

One of my favourite native species of bird is the long tailed tit. These tiny birds gather in family groups and small flocks and they fly around noisily chattering to each other. At the end of the day they will roost together in trees and bushes all huddled up to stay warm.

There really is no other bird quite like it, it is amazing how much cute you can get in such a tiny package.

Long Tailed Tit

Such a cute little bird, long tailed tits are often seen flying about in noisy little flocks as they chatter to each other non-stop. They are quite hard to photograph as they are small and are easily hidden in the branches of trees and the hedgerows so when I spotted this one taking a brief rest I was really pleased to get the opportunity to take his portrait. For his part he didn't seem to mind posing either.

Long Tailed Tit

Long Tailed Tits are so cute and they are often seen in small chattering flocks and as the evening sets in they will huddle together in small groups to keep warm.

I love this shot especially as you can see that spring has arrived with the blossoming pussy willow.

Long Tailed Tit

Over the long weekend I haven't been feeling on top form and so didn't really get out very much and then today when I was feeling well enough to go out to play the weather was rubbish so I had to think hard about where to go.

One place that I love to visit is the Lancashire Wildlife Trusts reserve at Mere Sands, near Rufford and as there are several hides to observe the wildlife I figured that even in the rain I would get a few opportunities for some decent photos. When I arrived the weather had in fact improved greatly and by the time I had to leave the sun was shining and it was a perfect day.

I have recently tried a few times to get a shot of a Long Tailed Tit, they are really beautiful and endearing little birds but constantly on the move so getting a good clear image is really difficult. On the walk between two hides today I saw a small flock of these birds flitting among the bushes, accompanied by a pair of Black Caps (which sadly I didn't manage to photograph) and so I took a few minute to try and get a photo.

As I say they are constantly on the move and this little chap was quite a challenge. In the second of the images he used the upright branch as a perch and although he looks like he was posing for me he was actually scanning the air around him for flies (of which there were plenty) and he would quickly launch himself into the air, catch a fly and then settle briefly before launching another attack.

I really love these pictures and I am quite pleased with the results although I can see some room for improvement. Oh well I guess I will have to go back to Mere Sands fairly soon and try again. Not that that will be a hardship, I had such a lovely time.