urbpan: (dandelion)


Tufted titmouse Baeolophus bicolor

I could probably get a better shot of a titmouse, since they are among the most commonly seen winter birds in our area, but I feel some time pressure. Titmice are close cousins to the chickadee, with distinctive crests and what Cornell calls an "acrobatic" but "methodical" foraging style. This one is holding its crest down, a pose that memorably flummoxed a friend of mine: "They can DO that?" One of the strengths of Sibley's field guide is that it shows such confusing postures.

About half the time that I hear a high pitched bird call that I can't quite identify it turns out to be a titmouse.
urbpan: (Default)
A hawk killed a squirrel outside our office window this weekend. My coworker watched a titmouse pick bits of frozen meat off the carcass. Today the titmouse was chased off by a bluejay, who gorged on bits of icy rodent. Just now I watched another squirrel observe the jay for a few minutes before chasing the bird away from his friend's cold body. Then he tucked in and started eating.

Just as I finished writing that, Sarah Ferenstein, the red-tailed hawk featured in several recent photos, landed at the site and flew away with the cannibalized corpse. Then the titmice returned to pick at the bloody snow.
urbpan: (cold)



To those of us who see them every day of the year, it seems unbelievable that the tufted titmouse wasn't a resident of New England until the mid-twentieth century. They are part of the winter birding landscape, among the most common birdfeeder visitors, gathering in mixed flocks with chickadees, nuthatches, and downy woodpeckers. The titmouse is one of many species of birds whose range has vastly expanded with the practice of winter birdfeeding as well as other human changes to their environment. They are bold, but not quite so bold as their relatives the chickadees.

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