Image Credit: Elizabeth Dack
Through the dense blanket of phragmites reed echoed a single, sharp, metallic "chink". Having spent much time in reedbeds I was very familiar with this call, and I jerked my head around to search for the perpetrator of this iconic Broadland sound.
There it was again, this time much closer. I fervently grasped my binoculars and scanned the swaying purple-topped stems. It was not long before my lenses fell on an out-of-focus pale, well, blob, atop a bulrush. After twisting the dial on my binoculars, the characteristic features of this wonderful species came into perfect clarity: a russet head adorned with smart black eyeliner; a fanned, white-edged tail just as long as the body, and beady amber eyes. For a moment it continued to make its presence known by calling loudly, and perching in full view. I tried to make other birders aware it was there, and I turned around to tell people. I glanced back just in time to see the elusive passerine slip away into the mass of reeds. I was one of the lucky ones to glimpse the Bearded Reedling.
The Bearded Reedling is a loner of the bird world, having no other species in its family (Panuridae). It is found sparsely across Europe in major marshland complexes and across into Asia. Its whole lifestyle depends on large reedbeds, which it very rarely strays away from. Its diet varies between the seasons: in the summer they are insectivores, but in the winter use seedheads of marshland plants for nutrition. For the warmer months spiders are most commonly taken, but even the mighty Swallowtail caterpillars have been recorded as prey to these invertebrate-munchers!
However, the tough fibres comprising their winter diet are difficult to digest, so these birds employ a wonderfully weird technique to keep in working order. Bearded Reedlings must all consume grit, as it helps to grind up the tough reed sheafs they are accustomed to. On some nature reserves the RSPB supply grit on trays in autumn, giving the birds a top-up for the cold months to come. At Leighton Moss, visitors can watch the birds as they emerge from the dense cover to visit these trays on Thursdays in October.
The Bearded Reedling was previously known as Bearded Tit, and was thought to be a member of this family due to the resemblance it bears. Now thorough genetic study has placed it in an all-new family of its own: Panuridae. Now scientists consider its closest relatives to be the parrotbills of Eastern Asia, a far cry from previous thoughts.
In the UK Bearded Reedlings are primarily restricted to extensive reedbeds in the southeast of England, although there are some outlying populations as far north as eastern Scotland. But the largest populations lie in the Broads heartland and the North Norfolk coast. Identifying the birds is easy even with less than ideal views (which are common in this species!) The body and head are coloured tawny-buff, and the wings and tail are elaborately patterned in black, white and brown. The tail makes up about half of the body length: this is an obvious feature when perched or in flight, and is diagnostic, as no other small brown bird in reedbeds has a tail so long! The ultimate prize is to find the stunning adult male. He has an ashy-blue head, adorned with long black streaks flowing down from the eyes. When you get a good view of one of these, you'll never stop searching for them!
Ah. Getting a good view. This is the tricky bit as they spend much of the time deep in vegetation or flitting over the surface of the reedbeds, so it is exceptional to see one well. But the best way to do this is to wait patiently by a reedbed pool and listen for that distinctive pinging call. With luck they'll come to the water's edge to drink or bathe. You may just find you get lucky! The Fen Hide at Strumpshaw is a great place to look, and also where some recently fledged young have been spotted.
This is one of the best times of year for these elusive little critters, because numbers are swelling from the recent breeding season. Search the local reedbeds; you'll need binoculars, a spare few hours and a lot of luck!
Written by Oscar Lawrence