Penduline tits..
Back in late December 2004 three penduline tits were found along the northern haul road (before there was even a northern trail boardwalk). They did not linger and were seen to fly off to the west. The record was met with some incredulity at a local level. This occurred twelve months before the December 2005 sociable plover was found on the reserve. Whilst the sociable plover was present, many birders came to see this exiting and rare bird. All we needed now was for someone to turn around and find some penduline tits in the reed bed, and that is exactly what happened.
At least six but possibly ten were present that winter, and each winter subsequently, with the last being in February 2011 with a brief one day visit. We had to wait until 17th November 2019 for our next sighting.
They became a fixture of our winter time, although seeing them was always down to luck – a bit like our bearded tits. Let’s hope that they once again become regular visitors to the marsh.
This picture was taken by Jeff Delve on the 30th December 2008.