***Feedback on this challenge gratefully received as a comment on this post.***

Part 2 of the ‘garden frequenters challenge’ covers the calls of the common ‘true’ tits. These are birds which are usually easy to identify by sight but their calls can be confusing. Great Tit calls, in particular, are numerous and varied and worth special attention.

Step 1 – Describe – Listen to each of these recordings and describe the call in each case, thinking in particular about features which would help you distinguish between them.

I’d suggest doing this both phonetically – ie. twee-doowee – and, where you can, with words/phrases with a similar intonation to the call – ie. ‘Eat, the cheese’. It’s worth checking your phonetic descriptions against those in a good field guide, for example the Collins Bird Guide.

Blue Tit call https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/blue-tit/?type1520 and Blue Tit alarm call https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/blue-tit/?type1521

Coal Tit call https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/coal-tit/?type1627 and Coal Tit alarm call https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/coal-tit/?type1628

As you know, Great Tits have a wide range of calls, so I’ve included links to some Xeno-canto recordings here too. The Xeno-canto database is a fabulous resource for learning bird calls, with mainly naturalistic/unedited recordings and spectrograms. Before you listen, notice if the recordist has listed other birds captured in the recording.

Great Tit call https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/great-tit/?type1474 and Great Tit alarm call https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/great-tit/?type1475

Arjun Dutta’s recordings of Great Tit begging call  https://xeno-canto.org/570296  and Great Tit begging call, call and song https://xeno-canto.org/581079

David M’s recordings of different Great Tit calls https://xeno-canto.org/346125 and https://xeno-canto.org/328724

Jacobo Ramil MIllarengo’s recording of the 1 or 2 sharp pings before Magpie-like rattle che-che-che-che-che https://xeno-canto.org/305182  and of an alarm call https://xeno-canto.org/622089 

Step 2 – Mimic – Attempt to make the sound in each case thinking about pitch, pattern, sound quality and ‘voice’.

Step 3 – Revise and test. Ask a kind person to test you on the above recordings. I’d suggest doing this in two ways: a) Ask them to shuffle the recordings, for you to name the bird and call type; b) Ask them to say a bird and call type, for you to mimic the sound.