Welcome to our South East Christmas Countdown no.4.
Did you guess the ‘sneezing’ bird is the marsh tit? There’s a clue at the bottom to tomorrow’s story. If you missed no.5 in the Countdown, you can read it here.
Christmas is a time of celebration! In our countdown to Christmas, we would like to share with you some of this year’s success stories, about some of our most threatened birds in the South East. In September, the State of Nature 2016 report was published. It highlights the alarming decline of many UK species, but it also showed that we can turn the fortunes of our wildlife around, given determination, resources, public support and conservation action.
About marsh tits
The marsh tit is a woodland bird, and is very similar in appearance to another woodland species, the willow tit. In fact, they’re so hard to identify that ornithologists didn't realise there were two species until 1897. Telling them apart is really tricky, with differences in their call being the best guide: marsh tits go “pitchoo” which sounds a bit like a sneeze.
Marsh tits are territorial all year round, staying in pairs in the same territories. They are monogamous and many pairs remain together for life. Between 1995 and 2014, marsh tits suffered a 39% population decline in the South East, making it a red list species. Despite their name, they are most often found in broadleaved woodland, and also copses and parks. Unlike blue tits and great tits, which have adapted to changing landscapes, marsh tits are woodland specialist birds.
Good news from 2016
We are working to increase numbers of breeding pairs at our woodland reserves, opening up some areas of dense woodland to allow woodland shrubs to thrive. In 2016, we recorded 12 breeding pairs across our South East reserves, mainly at our sites near Tunbridge Wells; RSPB Broadwater Warren, RSPB Tudeley Woods and RSPB Fore Wood.
Our work wouldn’t be possible without your continued support, through membership, volunteering and even your Christmas purchases in our shops. On behalf of our teams and all the wildlife you have helped us to save, thank you, and have a great Christmas!
Our story for October
We’ll celebrate another story tomorrow, so keep an eye out for it, but in the meantime here’s a clue to keep you guessing…
Which of our conservation priority species wobbles, zigzags, rolls and dives?