News
Willow Tit survey
30/05/10
Left to right: 1. An adult Willow Tit, Poecile montanus, at the nest hole with food. 2. A juvenile peeps out from the nest hole at the big wide world. 3. The successful breeding site from which at least five juveniles fledged. All images İLewis Thomson 2010.
I have spent a lot of time surveying Willow Tits this spring in the Forest of Dean with Ben Macdonald. Willow Tits have undergone a dramatic decline in Britain in recent years, the cause of which is not yet fully understood. The main objective of the survey work was to pin down singing males and then hopefully find nests within those territories to judge breeding success. It sounds a lot easier than it is believe me!
We managed to locate around 16 singing males, but only three nest sites, two of which were from a single pair. The first nest found was abandoned fairly early after excavation when the hole was enlarged by an unknown culprit, this pair was not relocated. Another pair abandoned a site during excavation when they pierced the side of the stump causing a fairly large split (this didn't deter a pair of Coal Tits from moving in however and they have just started feeding young). Thankfully it was fairly easy to relocate the Willow Tit pair in a pine stump about 100 metres away. The pair successfully fledged at least five young from the site on May 27th.
It was a very interesting insight into Willow Tit breeding behaviour and while three nests don't really make a usable study, it became clear that suitable rotting stumps are in short supply and are easily ruined by the excavating pair or "would be" predators. Hopefully this work can form the foundations upon which a more rigorous study in the dean can be built in future years.
Note: All photographs were taken responsibly using a hide with the utmost respect for the birds.