Tufted Titmouse - Blog Posts

wow birds sure do have names! Here's some of society's favorites:

Cardinal

Blue jay

Hawk

Sparrow

Eagle

In comparison here are some of my favourite bird names:

Dickcissel

Tufted Titmouse

Wall creeper

Pyrrhuloxia

Emu

That last one is mostly a dedication to my friend @i-may-be-an-emu but emu is still a neat and silly name anyway so it works.

We have family that live out in the woods in Walworth County, WI. It's always a treat to visit them, both for the company and the abundance of wild forest birds that visit their feeders. Their house is my one reliable place to see Tufted Titmice around here, so I had to bring my camera.

[ID: A Tufted Titmouse clings to a thin branch. It's mostly gray with white underparts, black bill, a black patch around the bill, and large black eyes. It has hints of orange under each wing and a small crest of top of its head. End ID]

The Titmice were very active at the feeder that day, but they're a tricky subject to catch. They will only perch for a second or two before seizing their moment to grab a seed at the feeder and fly off to eat it in private. So I had to keep my camera at the ready and pointed at one of their favorite landing spots to catch just a handful of frames.

[ID: An American Tree Sparrow sits on the branch of a small tree. It has streaky brown wings with two white wing bars, streaks of tan on the underparts, and a brown eye line and reddish brown cap. It has the characteristic two-tone bill for American Tree Sparrows: dark grey upper bill, yellow lower bill. End ID]

Of course, I had to grab a selection of shots for the other visitors while I was there. This American Tree Sparrow was also a first-of-year for me, seemingly the only one hanging out with the flock of Titmice, Juncos, and Chickadees.

[ID: A Black-capped Chickadee sits on a bare branch. It has grey wings and tail, with white underparts blending to cream under the wings. It has a dark black cap and throat encapsulating the tiny black beak and bright white cheek patches. End ID]

The Black-capped Chickadees were either a lot more numerous or bolder than the other birds visiting the feeders, with one or two grabbing seeds at any given moment and at least three or four others hanging out in the trees nearby looking for an opening.

[ID: A Dark-eyed Junco checks the grass near a brick walkway for food. It's likely a male from the dark grey body and head, with white underparts and tiny hints of brown in the back and wing feathers. The general dark plumage and black eye contrast with the pale pink beak. End ID]

And the Dark-eyed Juncos were happy to mostly forage on the ground in clusters near each feeder. This one in particular got quite a bit closer than the others, giving me a chance to capture a higher level of detail.

I present to you ....

Birds

Ones a chickadee and ones a tufted titmouse i would say guess which is which but one is labeled