Biggest-ever influx of Coal Tits to British gardens

This November, Coal Tits were seen in over 70% of gardens, according to figures from the British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) Garden BirdWatch (GBW). Cold weather or a lack of tree seeds in the wider countryside may be behind the rise in sightings.

Participants in the BTO’s Garden BirdWatch survey have been keeping weekly records of the birds seen in their gardens over the last 20 years, an incredible citizen science project that enables the BTO understand how birds use human habitats such as gardens. Coal Tits are among our smallest garden birds, and are often driven away from bird feeders by the larger, more aggressive Great Tits and Blue Tits. They have a habit of darting to a feeder, quickly taking a seed and hiding it in moss or a crevice to eat later. Coal Tits can be recognised by their striking black-and-white striped heads, and by their overall brown and grey plumage, with none of the yellow or blue colour seen in Great Tits and Blue Tits.

In the summer Coal Tits normally remain within woodland, and are recorded in fewer than a third of gardens. In the winter they ¬are seen in more gardens, and are generally recorded by at least 40% of Garden BirdWatchers in November, when they are driven to garden bird feeders by cold weather.

This is the perfect time to join Garden BirdWatch ready for 2018, or sign up a friend or family member as a Christmas gift. New joiners in December will receive a book on garden birds and wildlife and, for a limited time only, the BTO 2018 calendar, which is marked with Garden BirdWatch weeks and other bird survey dates. To find out more, please contact by email (gbw@bto.org), visit www.bto.org/gbw or call us on 01842 750050 (Mon-Fri 9am-5:00pm).

11 December 2017

Continued

Unusual Coal tit behaviour

Coal tits try to feed and revive dead relative

April 2013. Christine Cassidy has sent us some photos of some very unusual behaviour of some Coal tits trying to feed and apparently revive a dead bird.

"On returning home recently, I found a dead Coal tit lying on my patio; it must have hit against my French doors (I have a wind chime up to try and prevent this from happening), although it may have been chased by the resident sparrowhawk that would have resulted in it hitting the doors.

Two adult Coal tits tried to feed and apparently

revive the dead bird. Courtesy of Christine Cassidy.

Within a couple of seconds I noticed a Coal tit carrying food to the dead bird, then another Coat tit arrived (both parents), the male started to kick the dead bird with its feet, as the mother continued to try and bring food to it. This behaviour went on for about 15 minutes until I could no longer watch as both parents appeared to be getting very stressed, I decided it was time to lift the dead bird. I have never witnessed behaviour like this ever before."

 

Similar behaviour in penguins
Coincidentally, Wildlife Extra has just reviewed the recently released DVD of 'Penguins: Spy in the Huddle'; During the scenes in the Antarctic, an Emperor penguin chick which becomes separated from its mother and succumbs to the extreme cold; the mother finds the corpse and tries to connect to the dead frozen rigid chick by forcing it into her pouch, whilst another penguin encourages her; reminiscent of the images of elephants stroking the bones of dead relatives.

Do let us know if you have witnessed similar behaviour. 

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/coal-tit-behaviour.html

Coal tits struggling after poor seed year – Appearing in gardens

Tough times for ‘Old King Coal'?

December 2012. New results from the British Trust for Ornithology's Garden BirdWatch suggest that the Coal Tit is one of a number of species struggling to find food this winter. Through its network of 14,000 ‘citizen scientists', the charity has charted a substantial upsurge in garden use, with Coal Tits turning to feeders in huge numbers.

Bad year for tree seeds
It appears that tree seed crops have been poor this year, leaving many seed-eating birds with little natural food on offer in the wider countryside. As a consequence, many species have been turning to bird table fare. Perhaps the most noticeable of these arrivals has been the Coal Tit, a species usually recorded in roughly half of gardens during November and early December, but this year nearly three-quarters of gardens are being visited.

In addition to the patchiness of natural seed crops, the recent wet weather has also proved problematic for Coal Tits. The seed cones of conifers only open under dry conditions and damp weather leaves them firmly closed; Coal Tits have to then find food elsewhere and we have seen a resulting increase in the use of garden feeders. Coal Tits have visited more gardens in the last few weeks than during the same period in any of the 17 years over which the BTO Garden BirdWatch survey has been running.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/coal-tits-gardens.html