Bluetit Diary    Dec 2010 (4)

 

 

Saturday 25th December 2010 (cont)

I'm not certain which bird is which here.  Judging by their head feathers, Will is the one on the right and Harry is on the left.  I'm not sure how you can tell which is winning either!

Again, I think it's Will on the right and Harry on the left.

The view from the side.  Will on the right and Harry on the left.

Which is which here?  Will at the bottom of the picture?

This is clearer I think.  Harry is backed into the corner at the top of the picture and Will appears to be in control in the middle of the box.

Poor Harry!

Somehow Harry appears to have got back into the fight again and is now slugging it out with Will in the middle of the floor.

Harry on the right and Will on top?

Harry at the right and Will on the left?

I think this is fairly clear - Will is on the left with his head feathers raised in full display mode - Harry much more subdued and trying to get out of the way.

Suddenly Will appears to break away.  He is still in full male display mode with aroused head feathers.  Harry still looks the underdog.

They stay in that position for a few seconds.

Suddenly, it's Harry that appears to take the initiative and starts to attack Will.  Now for the first time his head feathers are raised too.

They're at it again!

Has Will had enough?  He appears to be trying to fly away out of Harry's reach.

Will is at the top and Harry at the bottom right of this picture.

Here Will has flown out of Harry's way onto the shelf ...

... and from there onto the exit hole.

Will departs.

Harry is left alone in his box again.

How on earth did that reversal occur?  Did Harry win merely but sticking it out and refusing to retreat?  I'm sure this is Harry as he continues to roost in the box each night and adopts the same roosting behaviour and position too.

I doubt if we have seen the last of Will though!

I have added a video of the entire sequence to the list of videos that can be accessed from the front page.  The action is a little slow to start as during the first 30 seconds they are fighting on the entrance hole.