Often misidentified as a Blue Tit or Coal Tit; one resident bird species, always welcome in our gardens here in Ireland, is the Great Tit, latter one of our top-20 most widespread of garden birds.
The Great Tit from George Willoughby on Vimeo.
This shy, often non easily trusting little residents, is welcomed by gardeners since it lives on a diet of mainly insects, seeds and nuts. By using a peanut feeders during the winter months and food scraps on a bird table, this black-headed and largest of the tit family, will remain a constant visitor.
Word of warning, especially regarding the use of peanuts, fat and bread at nesting time, since these foods can be harmful when adult birds are feed their young. If you must put out peanuts in Spring and Summer, only do so in tight mesh feeders that will not allow sizeable pieces of peanuts to be removed, thus avoiding the risk of baby chicks choking.
The Great Tit is easily identified with its striking black head and large white cheek patches. Also a distinct black band can be easily spotted runs down the centre of its bright yellow breast. When perched viewers can observe a distinct white bar on both wings. Its bill is pointed but nevertheless stout for its size, while it stands on legs which appear bluish-grey in colour.
Its typical chirp, sounds like “teacher, teacher” and or ” tew, tew tew” with often repetitive variations.
The Great Tit breeds throughout Eire and will nest in cavities in trees or stone walls and are known to choose unusual nesting sites such as pipes or even letterboxes. Where silence prevails, it will readily use man manufactured nest-boxes.
George. We feed lots of birds and wild Turkey’s at the back of our house. We have a lovely Estuary and lakes over looking our back garden. It sounds just like a small black and white bird with a beautiful fan tail we here every morning. Something about wild life to calm the brain.
George. I had an email just come in from Mrs Mary Purcell
She would like me to ask you. If the Cathedral in Thurles is finished. She was in Thurles last year and she seems to think the Cathedral was been knocked down. George I assured her that would never happen. I have no idea what she is talking about. George can you throw any light on this. So I can put her mind at ease. Mary and Eddie came from Thurles all those years ago. There both in the eighties and going well.
Once again. Thank you George for your help.
Hi Katie, The Cathedral in Thurles is finished and beautifully decorated inside. Click on this Link https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Cathedral+of+the+Assumption/@52.680489,-7.8091684,3a,75y,259h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPau6SjQO72fMTWKDG-eJUUxEeu6MKGtBqjDidx!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPau6SjQO72fMTWKDG-eJUUxEeu6MKGtBqjDidx%3Dw129-h106-k-no-pi-2.9999962-ya259.5-ro0-fo100!7i8000!8i4000!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x4b61a41680bbe44d!8m2!3d52.6801578!4d-7.8089252
Hold your mouse over the larger image and with left click drag to view the 360 degree restoration.
Regards,
George
LOVELY VIDEO. THANKS GEORGE.
George. The images of the Cathedral are absolutely brilliant. Mary and Eddie are coming over next week along with a few more seniors to look at the images. I am sure it will bring great memories back to them. Eddie is a little absent minded these days but still great for his age. I tried to print them out but Google seemed to have stopped them. A pity I would love to have framed them for some of our expats. But George I will keep them in my favourite folder. Thank you George so much for your help. You will have made some expats from there home town very happy. God Bless.