# Great Tit query



## crystalwitch (Mar 27, 2017)

Hi. I have been feeding the birds in my garden for donkey's years, and get a great deal of pleasure from watching them all. I get a wide variety of birds - magpies, starlings, sparrows, thrushes, robins, pigeons, blue tits, marsh tits. great tits, etc. Over the past week, one great tit has repeatedly flown straight at the kitchen window and glass door. It has landed on the window frame, the window sill, the door handle and most worryingly just flown straight at the glass. I have watched it make several attempts on each occasion and then go back to the fence before trying again. I'm fairly sure it is the same one - have never seen this behaviour in a wild bird before. Initially, I thought it might be trying to escape from a predator but haven't seen anything that might be threatening and none of the other birds seem to be concerned. I can't think of anything new or different in the kitchen that might be attracting it and I have a cat which I would have thought was a deterrent. Has anyone come across this sort of behaviour before, and/or can anyone suggest why this little bird is behaving so strangely.


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## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

It can see its reflection in your window. And we are approaching the time of year where the males start getting territorial in the lead up to mating. So he's basically trying to scare away the bird that won't be scared away. 

I had this problem once and found the best thing was to place paper, like a pizza leaflet along the part of the window that he keeps attacking. It's only for a few weeks.


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## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

It could be that it has caught sight of it's own reflection & is attacking the 'enemy', I have seen it with a blue tit in my garden. It could be that at certain times of the day (depending where the sun is) it looks like a route it could fly through.

You could try putting something over the window to stop it doing this. It shouldn't take much to stop the behaviour as sometimes they can injure themselves if they keep knocking against the glass


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## Ella28 (Feb 4, 2018)

I've seen a pigeon do this at my patio window, i have a net curtain up now and it hasn't happened since.


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

Had a number of different birds do this at this time of year. Had a tiny goldcrest tip tapping at a velux window for several weeks before it gave up. As said above, birds are becoming territorial as spring approaches and are beginning to set up nesting sites and need to keep other birds away


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## Ella28 (Feb 4, 2018)

I love this time of year, i hear the birds starting to sing as i leave for work early morning. I've recently hung half a coconut filled with food, outside my window, i keep checking to see if it's been nibbled on but not yet!


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

Just over the last week the birds have really started singing, mainly blue tits, Robins, mistle and song thrushes. Heard a great spotted woodpecker giving its trademark drumming this morning.


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## mollymo (Oct 31, 2009)

We get quite a few fly into the conservatory windows. 
There have been many different types of smaller birds on the feeders lately. 
They are eating us out of house and home but fantastic to watch.


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## crystalwitch (Mar 27, 2017)

Thank you for all the helpful answers. I did briefly wonder if it might be a reflection, but in the twenty years I have lived in this house, have never seen this behaviour before. I will try putting some curtains up and hope that solves the problem - it must hurt him to keep smacking into the glass so hard.


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

I bought some special predatory bird shaped stickers for my windows and that stopped the problem.










EBAY


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