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A Country Year - Winter Companions.

January 19th to February 5th

From the Norwich Mercury - E. Kay Robinson (1902) - A winter migrant which the east winds seem to have brought over in unusual numbers, or to unusual places, is the siskin - a dainty little greenish bird, often showing plenty of yellow in flight, which hangs in all sorts of attitudes while it pecks the seeds out of the woody little catkins that hang like hard rigid berries on the alder trees in winter. From this habit the Germans call it the "alder finch" and perhaps it is this fidelity to the alders, while the redpolls, which often bear it company, affect birches as well, that makes the siskin one of the last birds to appear in town in winter. When the starving redwings crowd the berried hawthorns of public squares and gardens, and every birch tree has its redpolls hanging upon the pendant twig to dissect the dry-fruited catkins within a few feet of passers-by, you must still go out of town to the alder-fringed streams to find the siskin, twittering brightly to his friends around, as he swings upon the swaying alder-twigs, and enlivening the snow-felted landscape with flashes of yellow as he flits from one brown tree to another.

From British Birds by William Henry Hudson (1896) - In autumn siskins unite in small flocks and migrate southward; during winter they are found widely distributed over country. At this season they may be seen associating on trees and bushes with goldcrests, red-polls, and titmice of different species.

From The Birds of Norfolk by Henry Stevenson (1866) - Siskin. The pretty little Siskins visit us regularly towards the end of autumn, and again on their return northwards about the end of January. I have met parties of ten or twelve in a flight, in plantations, as late as the 27th of January, twittering amongst the top branches of ash and fir trees.

From British Birds by William Henry Hudson (1896) - Lesser Redpoll. It is usually called the lesser redpoll, because it is slightly less in size than the continental redpoll, which sometimes visits this country in winter.

In its lively disposition, its flight, and to some extent in its language, the redpoll resembles the linnet; but its feeding habits very according to the season of the years and the conditions it finds itself in. In summer it keeps much to the higher branches of the trees, where it moves deftly about like a siskin or a crested tit in its search after minute insects and their larvae; but in winter it feeds principally on seeds which it finds on the ground. It is fond of seeds of the birch-tree. The appearance of a flock of redpolls feeding among the birches is thus described by Warde Fowler: 'It is one of the prettiest sights that our whole calendar of bird life affords to watch these tiny linnets at work in the delicate birch-boughs. They fear no human being, and can be approached within a very few yards. They almost outdo titmice in the amazing variety of their postures. They prefer in a general way to be upside down, and decidedly object to the commonplace attitudes of more solidly built birds.'

After the breeding season the redpolls begin to scatter about the country in small flocks; as autumn approaches these flocks increase in size, and a southward movement begins, large numbers crossing the Channel. Many, however, remain to winter at home, and these may be met with in woods and plantations, leading a vagrant life in small flocks, and often associating on the trees with titmice, goldcrests, and siskins.

A Country Year - Winter Companions.

January 19th to February 5th

The Paridae family includes: The Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) alias Betty-tit, Blue Cap, Blue Titmouse, Pick-cheese, Tit-mouse, Tom-tit. The Coal Tit (Periparus ater) alias Coalmouse, Coal Tit-Mouse. The Great Tit (Parus major) alias Bee-bird, Cock Blackcap, Pick-cheese, Ox-eye, Ox-eye Tit, Tit-mouse, Tom-Tit. The Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris) alias Black Cap, Hen Blackcap. The Willow Tit (Poecile montanus).

From British Birds - William Henry Hudson (1895) - The blue tit is a commoner species than the ox-eye and is even more diffused in this country its range extending from the Channel Islands to the northernmost parts of Scotland, and it has been found as a straggler in the Orkneys and the Shetlands. All the qualities that distinguish the tits and make such engaging birds are found in a marked degree in the present species sociability; extreme vivacity, especially in the cold season; and the power to assume an endless variety of graceful positions when clinging to the slender branches and twigs, upright or pendulous, of the leafless trees in winter.

And as the blue tit is more abundant, and more familiar with man, than the others, besides having gayer colouring, he is the favourite member of his genus. He promises, indeed, to become in time our first feathered favourite; for though he is without melody, and does not come to us with a glad message, like the swallow, and has no ancient sentiment and nursery literature, like the robin, to help him to the front, he possesses one unfailing attraction - he is an amusing creature. Perhaps our progenitors were less susceptible in that way than we are, and took no notice of the tomtit and his vagaries. In winter he may be easily won with a little food; and when he joins the mixed company of sparrows, dunnocks, blackbirds and starlings that come to the door for crumbs and scraps, he is by contract among them a 'winged jewel' - a small wanderer from the tropics. In works of ornithology you will find the blue tit described as a little acrobat and harlequin, droll and grotesque and fantastic in his ways; and if this Puck among our feathered fairies can win expressions such as these from the gravest scientific writers, it is not strange that ordinary folk should find him so fascinating.

The language of the blue tit resembles that of the oxeye. Its voice is not so powerful, but the various sounds, the call and love notes, or song, composed of one note repeated several times without variation, have similar sharp, incisive, and somewhat metallic qualities.

The blue tit is omnivorous in its diets. In summer it feeds principally on caterpillars, aphides, and insects of all kinds, sometimes catching them on the wing. At other times it eats fruit and seeds of various kinds, buds, flesh, and, in fact, almost anything it can get.

Blue Tits are especially fond of the Winter Moth and spend much of their wintertime, often in an upturned pose, diligently searching the tree canopy, for the moths themselves, or even the eggs of that same moth, laid upon the tips of the tree leaf buds. In the springtime blue tit pairs feed their young chiefly on the emerged winter moth caterpillars, whose hatching needs to be just before the bird hatchings, so they have had time to fatten up a bit on the fresh tree leaves.

The coming spring is already on the minds of the couples. Having split from their autumn and early winter mixed feeding flocks pairs of blue tits will be seen foraging together towards the end of January, while, sometimes, investigating a suitable residence for their young.

A Country Year - Winter Companions.

January 19th to February 5th

From British Birds by William Henry Hudson (1895) - The coal-tit, or coalmouse, like the oxeye and the blue-tit, is generally diffused throughout the British Islands, and is not uncommon, although nowhere abundant. In its social habits, its flight, and its manner of seeking its food - during which it clings to the smaller boughs and twigs in a variety of positions - it closely resembles the other members of its genus. It also resembles them in its language, although a shriller note may be detected in its voice, both in its call-note and song. It differs from the other tits in its greater activity, in preferring conifers to other trees, in going more often to the ground to feed, and in being a greater wanderer out of the breeding season.

Originally a bird of woodland the Great Tit (Parus major) is nowadays just as much at home in leafy gardens, where it feeds on insects, seeds and nuts. Commencing in January the male of the species moves around the tree canopies, and taller shrub layer, singing one, or other, of his various songs. It is thought that by continually changing song perches, and, indeed, tunes, he is trying to give an impression to other male great tits that the area is already too full of his type.

It is lovely to hear a great tit as it proves spring is just around the corner, even if his musical ability is somewhat lacking, and at times he does sound rather like a squeaky saw in need of some oil. With a newly acquired partner - for they pair in January - nest inspection around the male's territory becomes an important part of their routine. Great tits, like their relatives; the blue tits, coal tits, willow tits and marsh tits, are hole or crevice nesting birds.

It is difficult to tell males and females of the Parus family apart, unless it is a Great Tit, that is. The male Blue Tit, towards breeding time, is said to be a bit brighter than the female, especially on the blue cap. Being brighter may apply to the males of the Coal, Marsh and Willow Tit, too.

The Great Tit is much easier to sex than any of the others. Female great tits have a black line down their yellow feathers from their necks to their rumps. These lines rather resemble a child's attempt to draw a line with a chunky wax crayon. The males, on the other hand, have a definite wide, black, jagged-edged stripe; and these stripes are different from one male to the next; so with a few sightings, it is possible, sometimes, to tell males apart. It seems these stripes have a purpose, too, for females, apparently prefer the males with the biggest and boldest stripe.

The Willow Tit (Poecile montanus), is now, sadly, a very rare bird of wet woodlands. The Willow Tit is not to be found in any of the older bird books. It just didn't exist; or so it was thought. This bird was recognised as a species residing in Europe during the 1820s, but it was not until 1897 that the bird was discovered to have been living here in Britain. Although similar to the Marsh Tit there are some subtle shape and feather differences, but their calls are very unalike.

The Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris), has now been discovered, in more recent years, to be another declining species. W. H. Hudson, in 1895, in his book of British Birds describes what would still have been a combination of the two species under the title of Marsh Tit-mouse: "The marsh-tit may be more partial to low or wet ground than the blue tit, and oxeye, and coal-tit, but the bird is found everywhere - in woods, groves, hedgerows, orchards, and gardens - and in autumn and winter is seen associating with the other species in their wandering bands. He is the plainest of them all, but in his lively, social habits, and in his various pretty motions and attitudes, he is one of the family; and so strong in him is the family likeness, that some find it not easy to distinguish marsh-tit from coal-tit, except when seen closely."

A Country Year - Winter Companions.

January 19th to February 5th

The Book of the Seasons by William Howitt (1836). The golden-crested wren, from its diminutive size and solitary habits, is not often noticed ; and it may be overlooked; but it is very abundant where there are plantations of spruce-trees, to which they are extremely partial, hanging their nests to the under-surface of the lower branches. Though apparently of so delicate a nature, they remain with us all winter, and appear to suffer less from cold than many of our hard-billed species.

British Song Birds by Neville Wood (1836) - The Goldcrested Kinglet. It is a remarkably lively fairy-like bird, and in many particulars greatly resembles the Tits. Like them, it frequently clings to the twigs with its head downwards, while searching for its minute insect prey. Its dexterity in clinging to the trunks of trees is very remarkable, and I have seen it running up the trunk of an oak tree, with as much ease and celerity as a mouse would scale the sides of a corn-bin. It never descends, and the ascent is seldom made in a straight line, but usually in a sloping direction.

The song of the Goldcrested Kinglet is very soft and rather sweet, but uttered in so extremely low a tone as to be scarcely audible unless you are quite close to it. It is heard very early in spring, or rather very early in the year, generally commencing about the middle of February, but sometimes so soon as the end of January, especially if the weather is fine.

The Goldcrested Kinglet generally sings from a perch, either in a fir-tree, or in a thick hedge, but sometimes also suspended on the wing, or while flying from tree to tree. Whilst singing, it seldom remains long on the wing, nor does it, at any time, during its stay with us, indulge in long-protracted flights, From seeing its irregular, and apparently weak flight in passing through the air on a stormy day you would consider it but ill calculated for winging its way over the sea, to distant climes; but that it does perform such journeys, is too well known to admit of a doubt. No author mentions the time of their departure for the north, but, from what I have observed, I should be inclined to fix it in February, having found their numbers greatly decrease, about the end of that month.

British Birds by William Henry Hudson (1896) - The golden-crested wren has the distinction of being the smallest British bird; it is also one of the most widely distributed, being found throughout the United Kingdom. Furthermore, it is a resident throughout the year, is nowhere scarce, and in many places is very abundant. Yet it is well known only to those who are close observers of bird life. The goldcrest is not a familiar figure, owing to its smallness and restlessness, which exceed that of all the other members of this restless family of birds, and makes it difficult for the observer to see it well. In winter it keeps mostly among the evergreens, and at all times haunts by preference pine, fir, and yew trees.

In the pale light of a winter day, more especially in cloudy weather, it is hard to see the greenish, restless little creature in his deep green bush or tree. Standing under, or close by, a wide-spreading yew, a half a dozen goldcrests flitting incessantly about among the foliage in the gloomy interior of the tree look less like what they are than the small flitting shadows of birds.

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