Baby Beardies

We have all been very worries about our Bearded tits at Radipole this year. Visitors often ask about them as the nature is well known as being one of the best places to bearded tit in the UK. It’s been quite depressing having to tell visitors that there’s only a small chance of seeing them. Our bearded tit surveys revealed only a few pairs compared to over a dozen last year. So why aren’t there many around this year? Well, remember that really cold winter? There’s your answer. They really don't do well in cold conditions and Britain is at the northern limit of their range.

But enough doom and gloom! We now have baby Bearded tits on the reserve. We've been seeing a few juveniles over the past few months and it was really nice to be able to see bearded tits near the visitor centre again. I got these photos just 50 yards from the visitor centre this morning whilst on the way in at 9am. They were being quite elusive but their distinctive pinging call could be heard from the bushes and eventually they came out and showed off beautifully. There were only two, one male and one female. Bearded tits are one of the few species which you can sex as juveniles. As these photos show, the most obvious difference is the bill. The male has the bright orange bill, he also has a pale eye which the females don't have.