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Monday, July 11, 2011

Titmouse

Don't see too many of these in my yard!
He's pretty cute with his bright eyes and bedhead. ha.
Here's some fun facts about them ~
1. Their name comes from the Old English. Tit (any small animal or object...no, not what you were thinking!) and mase (small bird).
2. They are predominately gray, with a tufted head and a black ring around their eyes which makes them seem abnormally large and bright. They can lay their tuft down flat at will. So I guess they can look sleek and tidy or kinda funky if they want to, like they used hair gel. ha.
3. They take seed at a time from a feeder, remove it from it's hull, and hide it away for later. Kind of reminds me of a squirrel! ha.
4. They like to eat peanuts, suet, sunflower seeds and chicken nuggets. ha. I put that last bit in there just for you, Pat. No, they don't really eat meat. hahaha. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention! lol.
5. They have a buzzy sounding call, sounding like "peter, peter" that can almost sound like someone blowing a whistle. They can also hiss like a snake if a predator comes near their nest.
6. The male feeds the female after the eggs are laid and she stays in the nest. Just like any gentleman should for his expectant wife, right? :) 7. Titmice ...yes, that is the correct plural form..haha...live in the eastern half of the United States.
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So, there you have it! Don't you feel smarter?

44 comments:

  1. LUV YOUR BLOG :) STOP BY & SAY HI GIO

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  2. Hi gio...thanks for stopping by! :)

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  3. We have lots of these by us and I never knew why they were called titmouse. Cute story. Great picture.

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  4. I always wondered where the "mouse" part came from. When I was a little kid, I thought it was a kind of mouse, not a bird.

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  5. chicken nuggets...for real...lol. nice i did not know most of that...

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  6. Great photo. The bed head is a great observation!

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  7. jill ~ yeah, the kind men get when wearing a ball cap, right? ha.

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  8. He is beautiful... I love birds! I haven't ever seen a titmouse before.. he is cute!!

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  9. just like you...always giving me the bird! lol

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  10. haha...Hi, Otin! Great to see you!

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  11. Oh no I have to go install a lock on my fridge
    Just in case they come near my ridge
    Wouldn't want them getting close to bush number three
    And stealing all the chicken nuggets from me
    Or I could use the nuggets as bait
    And when they come the cats will seal their fate
    Kill two birds with ummm two cats
    And feed them and keep the chicken nuggets of Pat's..LOL
    A titmouse is a rather curious name too
    Lots of stuff with that name I could do
    But that you probably knew
    So I'll let that just brew

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  12. no worries...they don't really eat meat
    Just thought I'd give you a tease
    And I don't think they live as far north as you
    so you don't have to pout or turn blue

    You can have the peacocks that cause strife.
    I'll keep the titmice.

    lol...

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  13. I feel a whole lot smarter!!! I wish I had a bigger variety of birds in my yard... But love the ones I have...so not complaining.

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  14. BTW I forgot to tell you I love the new header...boy that's a big knife in that watermelon..

    We had the best watermelon yesterday...really sweet. Best one of the summer so far.

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  15. A great shot of this little bird. I always love to see them around.

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  16. Wanda ~ I thought that knife was huge, too for those little guys! But no doubt mom or dad was close by. ha.

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  17. I don't think I've ever seen one of these birds! Very sweet looking bird.

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  18. I learned something new today...you know how much I love birds, too. I have never seen one of these in person.
    I love your new header picture. They were such handsome young guys here ; )

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  19. Cat ~ I'd never seen one in our yard either and had to look him up!

    Yes, handsome guys...and so was the next generation, right? :)

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  20. Much prettier than the turkeys I was shooting this afternoon.

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  21. Martha ~ I almost asked if you were getting ready for Thanksgiving a little early, but I think you were taking pictures, right? Oh ha. That cracked me up!

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  22. Taking pictures, yes. It's the only kind of hunting I do... so far.

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  23. never a dull moment around here eh? I must say I did learn something new!

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  24. I don't think we have them over here, which is a shame because they look entertaining little things.

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  25. The titmouse is the most common bird at our feeder. Didn't know all those little facts tho. Thanks!!

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  26. Oh I feel so much smarter. Actually I knew little about them...since I live out west now! What adorable birds!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  27. I love. love. love the little titmice (no, I did not know that was the plural!). Their grey is so soft and beautiful and their eyes so bright. Plus, I love when they wear their spiked style hair. ;) blessings ~ tanna

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  28. I DO feel smarter and they are so handsome too!

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  29. I'm a bit surprised that your little kitties haven't scared some of the birds away.

    I haven't seen last years wren, yet.

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  30. Christine ~ I haven't seen last years wren either! ha. But I sure can hear him! He doesn't eat seed, so he doesn't come to the feeder. Need to snap a picture of the cutie. They're one of my favorites!

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  31. thanks for the interesting facts. I just saw a beautiful red cardinal in a tree by the mailbox, such a delight.

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  32. much lol
    I love my yard too Its full of birds. I leave the leaves and the yard has lots of worms blackberry bushes cherry apple trees and red berries.
    So they like coming here.
    I used to see humming birds too once in a while but to hear birds around you is just splendid.

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  33. lady'slife ~ your yard sounds wonderful! Of course the birds would just love it! :)

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  34. Yup, very educational, thanks. We don't have those in UK - love the hairdo! I would have guessed they were called 'mice' for being grey all over.

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  35. BETSY, GOSH!!!!! YOU'RE FROM OHIO, ME TOO :) YOU MUST COME TO MY COOL SALE SEPT. 10TH IN WOOSTER, HERE'S THE SITE scroll down to the sept. event, you'll love it, i PROMISE http://www.quailcrest.com/

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  36. One is never too old to learn new things, thanks

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  37. gio ~ you're in Ohio? No way! How fun!! OK...I'll look you up!

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  38. Soul Dose ~ so true! and thanks for visiting! :)

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  39. Very nice...
    Enjoy your day Betsy !

    Pierre

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  40. We get excited every time we see one in our yard. Don't you think their grey simplicity is beautiful?

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  41. What a wonderful looking bird. never seen it before. LOVE the bedhead as you call it. Ha.

    All this reminds me how my mother woudl sometimes shout out the windwos of our flat, "Darling, have you seen my blue tits lately? I always hated it when she did that. LOL.

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  42. Christian ~ oh yes, it's the perfect shade of grey, isn't it? :)

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