The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Food for Thought, with all the usual bird food hung from the trees, in our garden in Louth, including fat balls, we were surprised to see our usual Long Tail Tits, on the bird table eating and taking bread, never seen this before, or can it be classed as normal,

Cheers, Mike Surr

Well, I've seen it happening, once at my place, just South of Horncastle.

But when you get to the question, "Is this normal?" technically, bread isn't a bird's natural main diet, because it does not naturally occur in the wild. So, when you say, "Is this normal," the answer to that for any bird is really "No!".

Some have learned that this is another food source, but that is not innate nor conditioned response. This is learned, in this case by Long-tailed Tits seeing other birds eat it. Although, for the first bird to eat it, this, I think, has to be what is called learning by chance, operant conditioning.

Ask Robert Carr, he'll be able to give you a long lecture on the subject!!!!!!!

_________________
Alastair Carr

Where there is a will, there is a way....