looduskalender.ee

During the recent thaw nature buffs heard the first few calls announcing spring from the great tits in southern Estonian villages and towns. Yesterday and today already in Tartu and Tallinn too! There hasn’t been any brilliant sunshine, so – interesting, have the city lights made the tits’ day longer and set their  biological clock ticking earlier?

 

The song of the great tit is made up of a number of short, rhythmic sounds. The best known little melody  – and the title of this story – is the "teacher, teacher*... " - but almost every tit presents it differently. Some have their quite "own"  songs.

 

It is a nudge too that some smaller nesting boxes should be built, if you would like to contract tit families to your land by a real estate development project. Planning ideas: for the bottom 12 x 12 centimetres would suit, height 25, the opening might be drilled with a 30 -35 mm drill, and for the remainder one’s architectural fancy has free flight ...

The nest box should be put up at a height of 2-3 metres, with the opening set looking towards south.

 

*In Estonian the great tits call for  "Sitsikleit; sitsikleit“,  a (summer) dress (kleit) made of thin,  often  flower-patterned fabric (sits) ...