Long Tailed Tits

There seems to be a great reduction in numbers of Long Tailed Tits this year.

For the last five/six winters we have had a flock with 12-16 LTT regularly visiting all winter, three or four times a day.

This year there is one LTT who visits regularly in a mixed tit flock.

We have five/six pairs of siskins, and all the normal visitors (including a coal tit that were missing most of last year) but just this single LTT.

Do you know any reason for this decline.

Feed mainly nuts and seeds (lot of sunflower hearts this year to help them along)

In reply to doggie:

We are getting good numbers in the area with parties of up to 20 around the patch,most will be breaking up soon into breeding pairs.

Pete

Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can

In reply to Seaman:

Hi HeartsOwner, We have had a decline in LTTs in the last couple of months. In December we had 2 groups visiting our suet log feeders--a group of 3 and a group of 7. But since a Blue Tit has become possessive of the suet log feeders and continually chases the LTTs away, the numbers have gone down. We now seem to have only a pair, and they almost never get to eat because they are chased off only a few seconds after landing on the suet logs! I love Blue Tits but I love LTTs more, so I wish the Sparrow Hawk take the hint and would get rid of the bully BT!

Kind regards, Ann

In reply to Gardenbirder:

I wonder if it is just regional because I was just saying that I have never seen so many LTTs as this year - I have them on a daily basis in my garden whereas last year they were just casual visitors. Also in two or three forests where I go wallking, they seem to be everywhere.

Last winter I had yellowhammers and reed buntings in the garden on a daily basis but they haven't returned this year. I am just presuming they have found a good cafe somewhere else. Instead though I have some beautiful bramblings and siskins that have been with me all winter.

See my Flickr photos here

https://www.flickr.com/photos/115745582@N04/

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