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Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Birds - Great Tit Page 10
Image Taken on 20 Aug 2019
at 06:34 Image of day on 04 Oct 2019
In the Red corner, a Juvenile Robin redbreast.
In the Blue corner, a great Tit.
Let battle commence - we have no idea what happened.
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Ref: 20191004_e60_20190820_0634_052_fb3 robin juvenile flying in to threaten already defensive great tit(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Dec 2009
at 15:21 Image of day on 09 Jan 2010
Looks to us like a robin is guarding his heap of food and this great tit is
trying a 'pop-up' approach. The shadow of the great tit
particularly appeals - note how the shadow of the body is black
but the shadow of the wings is much lighter as the light shines
through the wings.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20100109_d35_20091210_1521_028_fb4 robin on trunk top with great tit flying up with dark and translucent shadows (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Jan 2009
at 10:24 Image of day on 01 Feb 2009
That's MY log ...
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Ref: 20090201_d3a_20090113_1024_019 fb2 robin seeing off great tit(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Jan 2013
at 10:40 Image of day on 14 Feb 2013
Robin vs 2 Great Tits.
Looks to us like the Robin is relishing the challenge, but more
likely is just determined to get at the food in the peanut feeder
to the left and will force his way past.
 2 great tits in snow(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20130214_d3b_20130114_1040_020 fb3 robin threatening (q) 2 great tits in snow(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Oct 2012
at 16:30 Image of day on 20 Nov 2012
Not such a peaceful encounter for this Robin and Great Tit.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20121120_d45_20121015_1630_042_fb1 robin threatening great tit (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image of day on 12 Jan 2006
From exactly this date last year at the main feeding site this
single exposure contained 2 Robins, 2 Great Tits & a Blue Tit.
All doing well again this year so far.
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Ref: 20060112_d3e_07564 fb1 2 robins 2 great tits & a blue tit 2005jan12_15-41-02(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Sep 2012
at 16:38 Image of day on 01 Nov 2012
A Song Thrush no doubt hoping to find some snails to take off and smash.
Meanwhile a Great Tit takes off for reasons we can only guess.
Genuine single frame - no fiddles
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20121101_d45_20120925_1638_113_fb1 song thrush on stone as great tit flies off (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 07 Dec 2019
at 11:02 Image of day on 13 Jan 2020
On the CCTV we saw a Sparrowhawk grabbing a bird from inside the
kitchen window Peanut feeder and flying off with it.
Later the same day this bird was perched on the grass outside the kitchen with what
we think is a Great Tit clasped firmly in the talons.
 just taken from inside of caged peanut feeder 2 of 2 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20200113_df1_20191207_1102_010 sparrow female with great tit (q) just taken from inside of caged peanut feeder 2 of 2 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Aug 2025
at 11:30 Image of day on 28 Sep 2025
NOTHING HORRIBLE TO SKIP HERE - just a 'close escape'.
A Blue Tit was on the feeder as a Great Tit arrives. The Great Tit never
stopped having obviously detected the terrifying sweeping arrival of the
Sparrowhawk, shown here accurately spaced at 25fps = 40mS apart. Both Tits
were very reasonably making panicked escapes. Its said that 90% of predator
attacks fail.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20250928_pc2_20250810_1130_157-159 sparrowhawk fails to take great tit from caged peanut feeder 01-03 of 11 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Aug 2025
at 11:30 Image of day on 28 Sep 2025
Top down we see the Sparrowhawk reaching a Talon to catch the Great tit but missing.
Intervals between images are 40mS and 80mS - the missing image has the bird hidden
behind the post.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20250928_pc2_20250810_1130_160+161+163 sparrowhawk fails to take great tit from caged peanut feeder 04+05+07 of 11 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Aug 2025
at 11:30 Image of day on 28 Sep 2025
Here you see the Sparrowhawk momentum carrying her past the post as she
changes direction to chase after the escaping bird at the bottom right of the feeder.
Top to bottom intervals are 40mS.
The entire interval for all three of these montages is less than half a second -
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20250928_pc2_20250810_1130_164-166 sparrowhawk fails to take great tit from caged peanut feeder 08-10 of 11 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Aug 2025
at 11:30 Image of day on 28 Sep 2025
More detail of the Sparrowhawk turning in the air to chase that escapee.
We expect that the Great Tit quickly found the nearby bramble smothered
Buddleia to provide safety.
We used to think that the cage around the peanut tube (primarily to deter Squirrels)
would act as some sort of protection to birds inside, but it doesn't - they just reach
in with a talon and hook out the shocked prey.
Meanwhile, for a while you can play this natural speed HD version in most browsers,
through you may want to learn how to single frame or ultra-slow motion step the player.
This video really highlights the suddenness & speed of this attack:-
http://www.moorhen.me.uk/friends/PC2_20250810_1130_001 Sparrowhawk fails to take Great Tit from caged Peanut feeder (HD 6secs).mp4
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20250928_pc2_20250810_1130_165 sparrowhawk fails to take great tit from caged peanut feeder 09 of 11 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Aug 2025
at 09:30 Image of day on 08 Oct 2025
Here is the same image montaged from a few seconds of action.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20251008_d5c_20250816_0930_003+006+007 sparrowhawk male attacks great tit inside peanut feeder 01+04+05 of 14 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Aug 2025
at 09:30 Image of day on 08 Oct 2025
This Sparrowhawk attack was an atypically lengthy affair, long enough to catch on the
'grab' camera on the study desk.
This single frame was taken a few seconds after the initial attack.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20251008_d5c_20250816_0930_016 sparrowhawk male attacks great tit inside peanut feeder 04 of 14 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Aug 2025
at 09:30 Image of day on 08 Oct 2025
The Sparrowhawk then spent what seemed to us an eternity, but was probably about a minute, waiting for
the Great Tit to die. We did actually wonder whether the bird was somehow caught on the steel bars.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20251008_d5c_20250816_0930_023+024+030 sparrowhawk male attacks great tit inside peanut feeder 07+08+09 of 14 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Aug 2025
at 09:31 Image of day on 08 Oct 2025
But eventually the Sparrowhawk released his grip and to our amazement the bird started to fly off
apparently not mortally injured. We think that the Hawk was only trapping some feathers against the
steel wires. About 2 metres away there is a tangle of Buddleia and blackberry that Tits 'hide' in while
waiting to use the feeder. Maybe he made it to a safe place, maybe not. but we could find no evidence
of a successful kill here or in the bird's other favourite dismembering sites.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20251008_d5c_20250816_0931_035+036+037 sparrowhawk male attacks great tit inside peanut feeder 11+12+13 of 14 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 20 Mar 2024
at 10:39 Image of day on 15 Apr 2024
Eye caught by movement on the bird feeder managed to see a couple of feathers
drifting down.
That's a successful Sparrowhawk attack!
Looking for the perpetrator found the Sparrowhawk on some grass outside the
conservatory, viewed though the glass.
First a bit of context - you can see the yellow breast of either a Blue Tit
or Great Tit underneath the bird.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20240415_d5c_20240320_1039_003 sparrowhawk male clutching blue tit or great tit in claws 1 of 7 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 20 Mar 2024
at 10:39 Image of day on 15 Apr 2024
The sad little creature in the talons was obviously not dead yet, and the Sparrowhawk was
waiting for his talons to do their job. After about a minute the prey stopped struggling and
the hawk flew off with it to we know not where.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20240415_d5c_20240320_1039_005+1040_007+012+017 sparrowhawk male clutching blue tit or great tit in claws 2+3+5+7 of 7 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 02 Feb 2016
at 15:08 Image of day on 06 Mar 2016
Over 6 minutes these 3 different birds 'posed' in different position along the log
and we couldn't resist showing you them all at the same scale.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20160306_e62_20160202_1508_060+1510_061+1514_062_fb5 tree sparrow + great tit + goldfinch 1-3 of 3 (identical scale montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Nov 2011
at 11:33 Image of day on 28 Dec 2011
After a several months absence the Tree Sparrows have returned.
First seen on a feeder they now seem to have commandeered this
Great Tit box. We can see here that a Great Tit isn't pleased but
didn't manage to shoo them away. At the moment the birds are only
'prospecting' and looking for winter shelter, but we often get 2
pairs breeding here in Great Tit nestboxes, sometimes including
this one. They are rare birds (RSPB Red status) so especially welcome
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20111228_dc1_20111116_1133_038 2 tree sparrow at nest box on elm post interfered with by great tit (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
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