In this week's post, we hear from Ruth - a senior lecturer and social scientist - who began volunteering with the RSPB after the pandemic. In previous posts, we have discussed John Wilson and his immense contribution to conservation through his bearded tit studies. When Ruth spoke to warden Nick about where her research skills could be made most useful, Nick suggested an extension of these studies. This week, she has written us a blog post with some of her findings...
Visitors to the reserve may have noticed a flurry of colourful activity in the last few weeks: Our wonderful bearded tits have begun to appear on the grit trays again. It is the beardies’ change of diet in autumn and winter – from insects to reed seeds – that prompts their gritting activity. They swallow small stones in order to grind up the seeds in their ‘crop’ or stomach. You may even see bearded tits picking up small bits of grit from paths elsewhere on the reserve, but the Smorgasbord of pheasant grit provided on the trays is an easier option!
Bearded tits were first picked up on the Causeway motion sensor camera on September 14, and we have had lots of activity since. The busiest day so far was 21 September when we had twenty birds visit the trays at once. The more birds appear, the more the males tend to become territorial, chasing off both rival males and females alike. We also see females chasing off other females, and very occasionally males.
Our camera captures almost all movement, whether from beardies or other birds. Last year we captured 11 other bird species on and around the trays, including reed buntings who also like to take in grit. Blue tits, robins and wrens are also frequent visitors. One wren took a long, luxurious dust bath, then proceeded to fly straight into the camera – twice! This year we have had a twelfth species as dunnocks have appeared a couple of times already. Beardies tend to initially get scared off by other species, and this seems to be about the speed of their approach rather than any threat they may pose. Therefore the speediest movers, like blue tits and wrens, often startle the bearded tits back into the reeds.
Based on the 200 gritting appearances recorded last season, the average time of day bearded tits appear is 10:48am. For those of you who regularly seek out beardies with your binoculars or cameras, this may be what you expected. However, it is interesting to know that the earliest sighting last season was 8:18am on January 24 2022, with beardies appearing just seven minutes after sunrise. The latest time of day was 15:16pm on December 23 2021, 34 minutes before sunset. This shows that no matter what time of day you are able to visit, you still have a chance of seeing these beautiful birds on the grit trays. You can also catch the highlights on our YouTube channel.
You can help us monitor the bearded tits by looking out for ringed individuals. We use the following recording convention: Gender, Right leg [colour over metal ring]; Left leg [colour over colour], e.g. Male, Right leg yellow over metal; Left leg blue over red. Due to a decrease in ringing over the last few years, and the fact that the usual lifespan for beardies is three years, there are not many ringed birds still around on the reserve. The good news is that some individuals do buck this trend as we have seen a ringed male already this season who is five years, 93 days old!
If last season is any indication, you can enjoy seeing bearded tits on the grit trays all the way through winter up to about the middle of February, bringing much needed cheer and colour to the chilliest, darkest months of the year.
Ruth
And if you'd like to learn more, or even see a bearded tit for yourself, why not join us on our final Brilliant Bearded Tits guided walk?
(Photo by David Mower)