Small Bird Feeder Webcam Forum 2014-2015

[IceAge]

[Cax]

Very strange tit - colured as great tit, but the head was as blue tit, only not blue, but black
Once there was also a strange tit in my feeder - it looked like a blue tit, but very light and pinkish - I thaught, it could be azure tit. And now this one

[asteria]

Very strange tit - colured as great tit, but the head was as blue tit, only not blue, but black
Once there was also a strange tit in my feeder - it looked like a blue tit, but very light and pinkish - I thaught, it could be azure tit. And now this one

I haven't seen it here but it must be a coal tit. It appears rather seldom but not as seldom as crested tits.

[Cax]

I haven't seen it here but it must be a coal tit. It appears rather seldom but not as seldom as crested tits.

No, I know them both very well. I say, first I looked, it was a great tit, then I noticed it's head - like the blue on, but totally black. Coal and crested tits are smaller, lighter, beige-brownish, not yellow with black belly stripe and green back, and no white stripe around the cap, and crested tit has this crest and white collar.
Now I've checked the book European birds (Lars Johnsson), and there is the blue tit from the North Africa - the head is similar, but the back is blueish and this white cap stripe is bit yellowish on it's forehead, and dark stripe isn't blue either, but black, just as this one had. Is it possible, that the "africaner" happens to be here?

[vainamoinen]

No, I know them both very well. I say, first I looked, it was a great tit, then I noticed it's head - like the blue on, but totally black. Coal and crested tits are smaller, lighter, beige-brownish, not yellow with black belly stripe and green back, and no white stripe around the cap, and crested tit has this crest and white collar.
Now I've checked the book European birds (Lars Johnsson), and there is the blue tit from the North Africa - the head is similar, but the back is blueish and this white cap stripe is bit yellowish on it's forehead, and dark stripe isn't blue either, but black, just as this one had. Is it possible, that the "africaner" happens to be here?

No, it's impossible, that African Blue Tit could reach Estonia

[Cax]

Maybe not THAT impossible, as much as even a flamingo had been here too, lol. But surely, the possibility is almost zero. So I think, more likely it is some kind of bastard of great and blue tit. Even that one I concidered to be an azure tit, could of been a bastard, bc azure tit is very rare here.

[venegor]

only sparrows

[Felis silvestris]

Cax, I think I have seen this strange tit too. Did not manage a picture though, but also was wondering if there are bastards between the two kinds.

For Bea's list - I have seen the first jay today:



I guess only the first of many to come

[Felis silvestris]

a doubt that I have, are very similar
"carbonero sibilino" (Poecile montanus)
"carbonero palustre"(Poecile palustris)
Here in Spain we have the palustris

airras - vainamoinen answered our standard marsh- or willow tit question already:

Marsh Tit. Typical.

- Poecile palustris

[vainamoinen]

Maybe not THAT impossible, as much as even a flamingo had been here too, lol. But surely, the possibility is almost zero. So I think, more likely it is some kind of bastard of great and blue tit. Even that one I concidered to be an azure tit, could of been a bastard, bc azure tit is very rare here.

Here is a citation from an authoritative website - www.birdforum.net.
Wild hybrids among passerines (perching birds) of different genera are extremely rare. Out of all the millions of Blue and Great Tits ringed in the UK over the last 50 years, I don't think there has been a single record of a hybrid. People tend to jump to the 'hybrid' conclusion before considering the 'extreme variation' one, but solid irrefutable evidence of hybrids is extremely rare. Blue and Great Tits are in totally different genera and quite distantly related - it would be be like a Reed Bunting hybridising with a Linnet. And probably as common.
So version of hybrid we can exclude. African Blue Tit lives in Canary Islands and North West Africa. It's impossible to meet this species in Estonia. I didn't see this bird, but the only reliable version it was a simply odd coloured Blue Tit.

[Cax]

Felis, I watched too some time, will I see this one again, to catch a pic, but no. Perhaps some other watcher is more lucky. Then we will have proven evidence of mixing of two species, lol.

Vainamoinen, this is the possibility, too. Perhaps this one have spend the night in some chimney, lol. Once I saw a great tit who probably did it - geez, he looked like a maur! Very big one too. I stared at him quite some time, before I realized, that is is very sooty and large great tit male

[Felis silvestris]

Unfortunately there are no archive videos of this camera, otherwise we could search there. But it was oddly coloured, that's for sure, even if it is either a great or a blue tit.

[IceAge]

Cax, do you mean this *one* ???



But, i think it's a real blue tit.

[Cax]

Well, in this light the cap seems dark blue, and yes, this is the real blue tit. The one I saw, was in the shadows on the right side and front of the feeder, and the cap seemed really black. But they are like flashes or shuttles here and there, you know, so I cannot tell, is it the same one or not. Very likely, but still I cannot be 100 percent sure. Let's keep looking, lol.

[IceAge]

The winter has just begun and we will find the special bird .

[airras]

airras - vainamoinen answered our standard marsh- or willow tit question already:
- Poecile palustris[/quote]
Felis ok thank you and Vainamoinen, the truth is that there is little difference

[lispet]

December 30th

Good morning!

at 08.36 the crested tit is back

[Bea]

....For Bea's list - I have seen the first jay today...

Written down!

[asteria]

A jay has just been here!

[Lussi05]

Good morning

11:12 - Greenfinch (almost hidden), Tree Sparrow, Blue Tit (also partly hidden under the Tree Sarrow:) and a Marsh/Willow Tit (can't see the difference, but I see that a Marsh Tit has been here, so it's probably the same)






Edit - and a glimpse of a Great Tit:)