How many babies?!

As I walked through the garden on Wednesday, I heard the 'syrupy' calls of Long-tailed Tits from among some bushes. They are daily visitors to my pond, one of their rare forays to ground level where they enjoy a quick wash and scrub up, so it was no surprise to hear them.

However, when I went up the garden a couple of hours later, I heard their calls again from the same bush. My little antennae pricked - for a bird that is usually on the constant wander, this seemed rather too much of a coincidence.

Investigating further, I discovered this line-up of baby bundles of Long-tailed Tit joy.

I hope you can make out the photo. I'm looking up through the branches, and they are lined up, side by side, some facing away, some facing towards me, their tails not yet fully grown and still tatty from having been cooped up inside their mossy ball of a nest.

Just in case this helps you make them all out, here they are, numbered.

Yup, nine of them. What does that make them? Nonuplets?

And, yes, this is just one single brood of babies. What a handful!

They were being attended by not two but three adults. This is one of many curious things about Long-tailed Tits. Sociability is an integral part of their make-up, and when you've got up to 15 youngsters in one brood to feed, it is useful to have extra carers on hand. It has been shown that the helpers are almost always siblings of the father of the brood, and usually one whose own brood has failed somewhere nearby. In fact, at times a pair can be helped by several extra child-minders.

This desire to snuggle together is something that will serve them well as winter approaches, for this whole family is likely to stay together until next spring, and they will need each other's warmth to get them through the cold nights. In fact, it appears that dominant Long-tailed Tits always get to sit in the middle of the branch, insulated by family members either side, with the weakest birds at the ends of the row.

But for now, the focus is all on nine hungry mouths. These babies are so fresh out of the nest that they are still wholly dependent on the tireless efforts of the trio of adults. So I left them well alone, and will leave you with a picture of a baby-food delivery that sums up the lottery of whether you are facing the right way when the next parcel of insects is brought in!