Fighting bluetits

[Elizabeth B]

I've already mentioned the battle for Box 3 - Fight in Box 3 - but on Saturday there was another, this time in Box 2, and involving three birds.





This is our 11th year of monitoring boxes - but we've never seen anything quite like this before!

[toadpole]

gosh they are really going for it !!!! i have window feeders in my bedroom and they are used mostly by masses of blue tits ....and the fighting !!!! that goes on ....they are really feisty little birds ....marion

[Naturenutz]

Despite the hard winter i have seen more blue tits,great tits,long tailed tits this year than ever before ,i wonder if there is alot of competition and hence more fighting.Nice photo's too

[RKB]

Blue Tits often nest in trios, with a male, two females and two nests, and the two females can fight. There is also competition for nest sites, and fights can be very vicious when confined in a box. We come across one or two Blue Tits that have been killed in a box every spring - they have puncture marks all over them from the claws.

[Littlesparrow]

I've just replaced our old blue tit box as the old one had some rot, but I hadn't thought about birds fighting over it, how many boxes can you put up in an average size garden?

[actionfinch]

now thats cage fighting...

looks like there going all out there..

[RKB]

Originally Posted by Littlesparrow

I've just replaced our old blue tit box as the old one had some rot, but I hadn't thought about birds fighting over it, how many boxes can you put up in an average size garden?

One per species, at least 15 ft apart.

[Elizabeth B]

Originally Posted by Littlesparrow

I've just replaced our old blue tit box as the old one had some rot, but I hadn't thought about birds fighting over it, how many boxes can you put up in an average size garden?

We have three boxes, all regularly used each year by blue or great tits. One is in the corner of the back garden, one in the diagonally opposite corner of the front garden and the third is on the side of the house (out of sight of the other two boxes).

[JeffH]

Great action pics Elizabeth.

Originally Posted by RKB

..... and the two females can fight.....

Glad to hear it's not just the males then.

Originally Posted by actionfinch

now thats cage fighting... ....

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)

[Elizabeth B]

Thanks Jeff - our website has now been updated, with more photos.