Our Great Tits (Parus major) are still busily feeding their young charges hidden away in the nest box at the rear of the garden shed. The following were taken on Sunday afternoon using my Canon 450D & 70-300 lens using aperture priority at f7.1 while I sat patiently waiting for the parents to appear with various morsels.
Male
Female
This is how I get out of the box....but he did't get me 'in flight' this time!
The next two images have been cropped and allow us to compare the sex of each parent. The first one shows the 'male' sporting a much broader black median band and a wider lower black belly patch.
In contrast the 'female' has a much narrower median band plus it is obvious that she has been brooding youngsters by the state of her feathers.
The sounds from the box are increasing in volume day by day, plus the parents have also been giving the younsters additional supplements of fat from one of the fat feeders nearby. 
I think she looks really tired.
ReplyDeleteThat is a busy pair Frank, I hope you get the chance to photograph the young when they fly out.
ReplyDeleteCute photos of them with their juicy green worms!
ReplyDeleteAwww! This is so sweet. You are lucky to have them where you can watch the babies as they emerge. Great shots of these cute birds.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness....that little female with the green caterpillar is the cutest thing. She is just oozing sweetness...
ReplyDeleteVery nice shots!! and I love that you took the time to describe the female and male attributes.
ReplyDeletewhat an amazing blog this is......i am just stunned to see all your wonderful images Frank.....Great pics!!!.....
ReplyDeleteGreat to be able to watch their comings and goings Frank.
ReplyDeleteHope you're about at the time they fledge - wouldn't it be good if they could tell us when though!
That poor female looks worn out Frank. It must take its toll, all that hard work. But what great parents they are; never complaining. I never knew how to tell the sexes apart before, so thanks for that useful knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI bet you can't wait for the youngsters to make a public appearance.
Hi Frank,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very nice update, thanks. The pictures are really cool and wonderful! The female looks effectively a bit tired, but I guess feeding these voracious babies might be exhausting! Well done, this is a beautiful documnetary.
Such adorable photos of her eating Frank!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos Frank, your patience was rewarded! I always struggle to differentiate between the sexes so that is really useful.
ReplyDeletewont be long now frank, the feeders will be covered in blue and great tits, a better breeding season than last year, hopefully
ReplyDeleteLynne. I'm not surprised.
ReplyDeleteRoy. I hope so to, but the weather may be against us plus having to work!
Shelly. Lovely grub.
Ginny. Thanks & I hope we get the chance to see the little ones emerge.
Kelly. I have a better close-up to post soon.
Crista. Thank you. It's not so easy to ID males & females when they are flying around so this seemed the opportunity to do so.
Greener B. Welcome & thanks. Please feel free to drop by anytime. The pics on your blog are pretty cool as well.
Tricia. I often think what they would say if they could talk to us. In fact they do but we just don't understand the language.
Keith. Would we cope making lunch every few minutes? More than happy to play 'teacher' again.
Chris. Thanks again but just wait for the digi-scoped close-up.
Kim. Cheers but I think she is just holding the meal for the youngsters.
Jan. It was better than doing the chores, if I had the will! Glad to help with the ID. Taking photos has certainly helped me to understand differences that we sometimes fail to appreciate by eye or even thro' the bins.
Warren. Time is ticking & let's hope the weather stays fair for all our feathered friends.
Have a great week "Early Birders".
Cheers FAB
Such an unusual looking bird. Nice captures.
ReplyDeleteLeedra’s Photos For FunLeedra’s Greeting CardsPhotography By Leedra
Hi Leedra. Thanks, it's in same family as your Chickadees.
ReplyDelete