Long-tailed Tit constantly tapping at the window (1 Viewer)

[SiG]

Working from home today, and every few minutes a Long-tailed Tit is perching on the study window sills and tapping the glass a few times before heading off to feeders and other gardens. The windows were cleaned yesterday ... It's done this more than thirty times now, doesn't seem to be distressed, just doing it for "fun" ...

Video: http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonglinn/3294522771

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJklQrW5zOM better version (but use High Quality)

 

[hollis_f]

Almost certainly thinks that the reflection is another LTT. It's quite common for birds, especially as we get close to mating time, to attack reflections. Best one was at a place where I used to work. A load of big-wigs turned up in their carefully-polished, black, cars. The resident peacocks got quite violent with their reflections in the shiny bodywork - and those beaks can do quite a bit of damage!

 

[SiG]

Excellent - if only more birds would trash cars!

I just shot a few frames of video of the LTT; I'll put a link up when it's rendered.

 

[SiG]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJklQrW5zOM

 

[ColonelBlimp]

It's really going for the window! I'm surprised something so small can make such a racket...

 

[mikfoz]

Why

Won't

You

Die!

(It's morse code )

 

[SiG]

It's been going on all day, with up to five birds, and all windows on this side of the house under attack! It's great ... although reading around it seems it's quite common behaviour and we may be blessed with it for weeks to come, even very early in the morning, which really wouldn't be so great!!!

I'm surprised something so small can make such a racket...

You've not met the wife ...

 

[DaveN]

We had a Song Thrush doing the same to our kitchen window and I just put it down to the bird seeing a reflection of its self.

 

[SiG]

Kept coming all afternoon, so I got some better frames and re-cut the video, which will appear shortly at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJklQrW5zOM

(as always with YouTube, choose the High Quality option or it'll be very pixelated)



The original short flickr version is still at

http://flickr.com/photos/simonglinn/3294522771/

 

[SiG]

And they're back today. It's going from being cute to feeling like we're in a Hitchcock movie ...

 

[deborah4]

It's possible they may cause themselves injury doing this - is there anyway to reduce the reflection on the glass? Lots of species seem to do this. Heard one story of Crows doing it until there was blood being splattered on the window pane. That person too described a 'Hitchcock' scene!

 

[SiG]

is there anyway to reduce the reflection on the glass?

I could smash it ... or smear it with crud (just paid to have 'em cleaned, which may well have been the start of all this, although they're going for all the windows on the house, not just the study) o I've already put a sparrowhawk silhouette up - they seem oblivious to it. There are more birds at it today, sometimes several at the same time ...

 

[Kentbloke]

And they're back today. It's going from being cute to feeling like we're in a Hitchcock movie ...

It's happening! I had a Pied Wagtail attacking the back window of my car of Thursday while I was sat in it. Watch the skies....:eek!:

 

[Mary]

When I had a dunnock doing this, I put a piece of cardboard in the window inside, just covering the lower few inches above the sill. That seemed to reduce the reflection. Once it had 'forgotten' about the rival, it didn't come back.