Showing posts with label long tailed tit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label long tailed tit. Show all posts
Wednesday, 10 March 2021
An extraordinary Long tailed tit!
Thursday, 31 March 2016
RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch results: Mild winter boosts sightings of smaller garden birds in Merseyside
· Long-tailed tit benefits from mild winter – recorded appearances in Merseyside increased by 34 per cent on 2015
· House sparrow is most seen bird in Merseyside gardens
· More than 519,000 people across the UK took part in the 2016 Birdwatch including more than 5,500 from Merseyside
Over half-a-million people, including more than 5,500 from Merseyside, took part in the 37th RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch – witnessing some exciting and interesting changes among our most popular garden birds.
The tiny long-tailed tit has flown into the Big Garden Birdwatch national top 10 after the average number seen visiting gardens across the UK increased this year by 44 per cent. In Merseyside they were up 34 per cent, moving from 15th place last year to become the 13th most commonly seen bird in the county.
RSPB experts are linking the increase in sightings of long-tailed tits, as well as other smaller gardens birds such as coal tits, to the mild weather in the months leading up to the 2016 Birdwatch. Small, insect-eating birds like long- tailed tits are particularly susceptible to the cold as the food they rely on is hard to come by in frosts and snow so milder conditions are likely to have contributed to a higher survival rate.
Dr Daniel Hayhow, RSPB Conservation Scientist, said: “This year’s survey was another brilliant year for the Big Garden Birdwatch. More than half-a-million people took part counting a bumper 8.2 million birds, providing us with valuable data which helps to build a better picture of how our garden birds are doing.
“The weather can have varied effects on different groups of birds in terms of behaviour and habitats used. The increase in long-tailed tit sightings, along with other smaller garden birds, just goes to show that, in the absence of very cold weather, these species can survive the winter months in much greater numbers. The warmer temperatures have made it easier to find food, like insects, which in previous colder winters would have been harder to come by because of frosts and snow.”
During periods of colder temperatures birds struggle to find food in the wider countryside so become more reliant on garden feeders. Long-tailed tits, and other smaller birds, have adapted to feeding on seeds and peanuts at bird tables or from hanging feeders. Since 2006, the average number of long-tailed tits seen in UK gardens has increased by 52 per cent, while great tits numbers have gone up by 13 per cent and coal tits by nine per cent.
Dr Hayhow added: “The increase in sightings of these smaller garden birds highlights the importance of a well-stocked bird feeder. Long-tailed tits only started using garden feeders in recent years, and now more people are spotting them in their gardens as this behaviour develops.”
Despite this boost in numbers many other of our garden favourites are struggling. Sightings of well known species such as starlings and song thrushes have experienced another drop during the Big Garden Birdwatch this year. This decline continues a national trend that has seen the number of both species visiting gardens decline by 81 and 89 per cent retrospectively since the first Birdwatch in 1979.
Ben Andrew, RSPB Wildlife Advisor, added: “A lot of our favourite garden birds are struggling and are in desperate need of our help. Gardens or outdoor spaces are an invaluable resource for many species – they can provide a safe habitat and enough food and water to survive – which are likely to have a significant effect on their populations.”
Big Garden Birdwatch is a part of the RSPB’s Giving Nature a Home campaign, aimed at tackling the housing crisis facing the UK’s threatened wildlife. The charity is asking people to provide a place for wildlife in their gardens or outdoor space – whether it’s putting up a nest box for birds, creating a pond for frogs or building a home for hedgehogs.
This table shows the top 10 birds seen in Merseyside gardens in 2016
Species
|
Average number per garden
|
Rank
|
House sparrow
|
3.08
|
1
|
Blackbird
|
2.50
|
2
|
Starling
|
2.45
|
3
|
Woodpigeon
|
2.34
|
4
|
Blue tit
|
2.20
|
5
|
Goldfinch
|
1.79
|
6
|
Magpie
|
1.55
|
7
|
Robin
|
1.36
|
8
|
Great tit
|
1.31
|
9
|
Collared dove
|
1.09
|
10
|
Laura
Friday, 31 October 2014
Greenacres revisited and an invitation
Nipped into Greenacres this morning
 |
| Emma woods Burial grounds |
What a lovely serene place this is, and being enhanced all the time; today the grounds staff were busy planting out an orchard – to the left of the
main drive in front of Emma’s Cottage, good news for the local wildlife. I’m also told they have 2 new owl boxes to
put out, pending RSPB advice and assistance on best places to situate.
On arrival I stocked up their bird table and went for a stroll. The
first thing you notice as you head out is not necessarily what you see but what
you hear, Grace wood was alive with the calls of long tailed tits,
 |
| Long tailed tit in spring - Laura |
intermingled were
also the voices of nuthatch, robin and blue tit. On closer inspection you could
see these pretty lollipops flitting around the trees and hedges.
No sign of the squabbling kestrels I’d seen in September,
http://liverpoolrspb.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/giving-nature-home-at-greenacres.html in fact no
raptors in the hour I was there, just plenty of jackdaws, crows and wood
pigeons flying over. Never mind at treat was in store, ‘Redwings’, I must have
seen well over 100 fly over Grace to Emma woods in several flocks, some stopped
to feast on the shrub laden berries on the woodland boundary, before moving on
across the fields towards the East Lancs Rd. What Splendid birds these
Scandinavian thrushes are, with their distinctive rusty red markings under
their wings - often heard before seen, especially of an evening during
migration.
 |
| Redwing in winter - Laura |
In the grounds of Emma woods, there was plenty of other bird activity,
blackbirds and robins, coal, long tailed, blue, great
and coal tits flitting through the trees & hedgerows. Nuthatches were in good voice and
clearly visible wandering up the tree trunks. A wren was searching through a log
pile close by. The best was to come though a call alerted me to a gt spotted
woodpecker hopping around the branches above, then a familiar waggy flight drew
my attention to the small pond in this area of the wood, here a grey wagtail
was skimming over the surface, great birds to watch a while.
 |
| Tree sparrow Andy Hay -RSPB |
Leaving the woods and heading down the path towards Emma’s cottage, the
well established mixed hawthorn, elder hedge was attracting more
blackbirds, robins, tits, redwing and I’m glad to report - the tree sparrows.
Additionally
Chaffinch, pied wagtail and collared dove around the cottage grounds.
Back to the office to pick up some info on the forthcoming Christmas
craft fair, a pleasant little excursion to a special place.
Come along and support the local Willowbrook hospice, pick up a
chrissie pressie! all whilst doing a spot of secret bird watching!
Willowbrook Craft Fair Sunday 02/11/14
Greenacres
Blindfoot
Road, Rainford, St Helens
Merseyside
WA11 7HX
Merseyside
WA11 7HX
Doors open 10:00am –
2:30pm
Lots of stalls:
Anime, Hand made jewellery.
Dawn Jackson glassware.
Novelty Nicknacks - stocking fillers?
Angel creations, bookmarks and
cards
Vintage & artist creative photography cards
Willowbrook Hospice Merchandise and Tombola (http://www.willowbrook.org.uk/)
Hazles gifts & Non stoppers supporter group (100% profit to Willowbrook)
Andrea brown Crafts
Bab-b bunting and vintage crafts
Sweet treats
Cake delights by Karen – beautifully baked cakes
Bill Chester Wood turning
Namaste healing, incense and candles
Charlwood crafts
Ann’s woolly crafts, knitted goodies
St Helens soroptomist club, knitted poppies
Staff from the Tartan Tea rooms, Rainford will be selling soup, sandwiches
and refreshments throughout the day.
Laura
Saturday, 11 January 2014
BTO’s Early Bird Survey on merseyside
So
did you do the BTO’s Early Bird Survey?
Here’s
the result from 3 members of Liverpool RSPB.
BTO results table
shows Merseyside has 26 households that
have taken part http://blx1.bto.org/ebs/ebs-results-map.jsp
Interested, like to do more? The BTO run a weekly garden birdwatch project
Bimson’s nook
Outside temp 4 degrees /clear skies
Daybreak time approx 7.55 am
First 10 species seen
|
BLACKBIRD
|
07:56 AM
|
GOLDFINCH
|
08:22
|
|
BLUE TIT
|
08:05
|
MAGPIE
|
08:27
|
|
DUNNOCK
|
08:14
|
COLLARED DOVE
|
08:27
|
|
STARLINGS
|
08:21
|
WOOD PIGEON/PIGEON
|
08:37
|
|
HOUSE SPARROW
|
08:22
|
GOLDCREST
|
08:42
|
House
of Holland
|
BLACKBIRD
|
07:53 AM
|
GREENFINCH
|
08:19
|
|
ROBIN
|
08:10
|
COLLARED DOVE
|
08:20
|
|
GOLDFINCH
|
08:15
|
BLUE TIT
|
08:21
|
|
CHAFFINCH
|
08:17
|
FERAL PIGEON
|
08:45
|
|
WOOD PIGEON
|
08:19
|
|
|
Thomo’s
Pied-Ã -terre
|
BLACKBIRD
|
08:01 AM
|
MAGPIE
|
08:27
|
|
DUNNOCK
|
08:04
|
COAL TIT
|
08:41
|
|
COLLARED DOVE
|
08:13
|
CHAFFINCH
|
08:46
|
|
STARLING
|
08:14
|
ROBIN
|
08:46
|
|
BLUE TIT
|
08:18
|
LONG TAILED TIT
|
08:54
|
|
GOLDFINCH
|
08:26
|
|
|
Daybreak time – this is the time when you can first clearly see your bird
feeding station from where you are
watching
National records
as of today -11/01/14 Time relative to daybreak (mins)
|
1
|
Tawny Owl
|
0
|
|
|
2
|
Blackbird
|
11
|
|
|
3
|
Robin
|
16
|
|
|
4
|
Blue Tit
|
21
|
|
|
5
|
Dunnock
|
24
|
|
|
6
|
Fieldfare
|
24
|
|
|
7
|
Magpie
|
25
|
|
|
8
|
Blackcap
|
27
|
|
|
9
|
Song Thrush
|
27
|
|
|
10
|
Great Tit
|
28
|
|
|
11
|
Chaffinch
|
29
|
|
|
12
|
Carrion Crow
|
29
|
|
|
13
|
Coal Tit
|
29
|
|
|
14
|
Tree Sparrow
|
30
|
|
|
15
|
House Sparrow
|
31
|
|
|
16
|
Siskin
|
32
|
|
|
17
|
Rook
|
33
|
|
|
18
|
Redwing
|
33
|
|
|
19
|
Yellowhammer
|
34
|
|
|
20
|
Long-tailed
Tit
|
34
|
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
