Just completed the Birdwatch but wanted to add the comment that long tailed tits are a first for us (rural Perthshire). We saw 2 during our Birdwatch bur earlier in January there were 6 on the bird table one morning. The birds we didn't see during the "hour" were woodpecker and wren, both normally around from time to time. We have also had occasional problems with a sparrowhawk bombing our bird feeders, for the first time last year.
Thank you for taking part in the Big Garden birdwatch. It is always nice to see something you don't normally get - makes it even more special! Sounds like you get a good mixture of birds in your garden.
Same here in suburban North West London. I always have large numbers of blue and great tits visiting my garden all year round, plus the occasional coal tits, but I had never seen long tailed tits. However between 10 and 11 am a flock of 5 'attacked' the feeder with the fat cake and have come back everyday since, increasing the number to 7. Alas, suring my watch, I did not see the woodpecker, two turtle doves and the many starlings that are regular visitors.
NE Hants here. Managed to record 4 LT tits in the relevant watching hour on Sunday. They are fairly regular visitors to our little garden and I saw a bunch of 5 just an hour ago on the peanuts. If you see one, you will usually see more as they generally travel around in a small (family ?) flock in my experience. Never ever saw them when I lived up north though and my first sighting down here was an exciting occasion.
Congrats on your 1st ever LT Tits. Hopefully they will return next year for you.
We had them for the 1st time last year but only 4 at the most on any given day. Sadly they have not returned this year, but i can say that about other members of the Tit family, there seems to be less of them around compared with 12 months ago.
These are cute little birds! I've had a "family" of 4 visiting my garden for the last couple of years, so I was happy when I saw 6 of them this year!
Maggie x
Just an update......my LTTs have just visited for a feed :-D
Well done Roses on attracting those cute little Long Tailed Tits. We are lucky enough to have six visiting most days and they go straight for raw pastry that I put out and then to the fat cake. If you give them this food they will be friends forever and keep coming back LOL
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Regards, Hazel