JDog Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 Whilst not exactly being a 'twitcher' I am interested in birds and today I saw my first ever Bearded tits. My wife and I travelled to Alkborough Flats at the confluence of the rivers Trent and Ouse and were rewarded by the sight of several of the little darlings feeding within ten metres. This is a new nature reserve created in the last ten years or so when previously farmed land was allowed to flood once flood banks had been built close by. What a place it is. In addition to the 'Beardies' we saw lots of Pinks, some Barnacles, Avocets and many thousands of Teal and Mallard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 Intriguing little birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 Ah that sounds like a good place to be! Is it close to your home? You don't wanna be a twitcher anyway Of the various tribes under the birdwatching umbrella, I've never been a fan of the twitchers. It'd have to be a biblically extraordinary thing to make me justify a twitch solely on the basis of the bird in question! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinj Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 (edited) Very nice, lucky you. I'm not a twitcher either but I do take a keen interest in birds. I had the privilege to see some Beardies during the long winter of 1962-3, this was in North East Hampshire, they were a long way from home and probably desperate for food. 'Twas also a good time to see Waxwings. BTW I'd love to see Avocets! Edited October 2, 2019 by martinj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 Any pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 Can we have some pics JDog. My wife keeps shouting me out to tell her what group of tits are on the feeder in the garden. Been getting a few more variety lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oowee Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 Looks like they live around here too but pretty sure i have not seen one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 Found this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 I will answer a few questions in one go. The place is 30 miles from where I live. Sorry no pictures. I was amazed and shocked into inaction at the sight of them so close. Figgy, they but live exclusively in large reed beds. Martinj, there were 1,000 Avocets along the coast on Reeds Island this week. I have never seen a Waxwing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 2 hours ago, figgy said: Can we have some pics JDog. My wife keeps shouting me out to tell her what group of tits are on the feeder in the garden. Been getting a few more variety lately. That's the test in our house, which tits are on the bird feeder, great when the coal tits come along because it throughs everyone, although my daughter has switched on to them lately. I love seeing something new Jdog 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted October 2, 2019 Report Share Posted October 2, 2019 The noise some of them make gets annoying. Nice to watch though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye Posted October 3, 2019 Report Share Posted October 3, 2019 20 hours ago, TIGHTCHOKE said: Found this one! Thats a real bearded tit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted October 3, 2019 Report Share Posted October 3, 2019 😆😆😆😆 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacko3275 Posted October 3, 2019 Report Share Posted October 3, 2019 And a pair here (sorry) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 4, 2019 Report Share Posted October 4, 2019 (edited) Cant say I have seen Bearded Tits and looking in my local bird book it was saying they are not seen that often but a few do turn up now and again , it stated , New areas of reed at Burgh Castle are favoured in the autumn , 56 being counted there on October 25th 1987 . I wonder how many people have seen all the tits , Long - tailed Tit , Marsh Tit , Willow Tit , Coal Tit , Blue Tit , Great Tit and along with the Bearded Tit , not that many I would have thought . Edited October 4, 2019 by marsh man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2019 MM There is one tit that is even rarer than the Bearded and that is the Crested. I have never seen one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 4, 2019 Report Share Posted October 4, 2019 31 minutes ago, JDog said: MM There is one tit that is even rarer than the Bearded and that is the Crested. I have never seen one. I have just looked it up and there is no mention of the Crested Tit in my local book although it was written in 1990 and there would have been a possibility of one been sighted over the last 30 years . Whilst looking them up there were two Norfolk bird watchers that went up to Scotland for a bird watchers holiday and they saw two pairs of Crested Tits in the Caledonian Forest , there are two photos and the little birds looks stunning with there crests on there heads , the scientific name is Lophophanes Cristatus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumfelter Posted October 4, 2019 Report Share Posted October 4, 2019 57 minutes ago, marsh man said: Cant say I have seen Bearded Tits and looking in my local bird book it was saying they are not seen that often but a few do turn up now and again , it stated , New areas of reed at Burgh Castle are favoured in the autumn , 56 being counted there on October 25th 1987 . I wonder how many people have seen all the tits , Long - tailed Tit , Marsh Tit , Willow Tit , Coal Tit , Blue Tit and along with the Bearded Tit , not that many I would have thought . Don't forget the humble great tit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 4, 2019 Report Share Posted October 4, 2019 3 minutes ago, stumfelter said: Don't forget the humble great tit. THANKS for pointing that one out , that was in my book and one that is seen fairly often , by the birdie boys that is and not by me may I add Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 11 hours ago, marsh man said: THANKS for pointing that one out , that was in my book and one that is seen fairly often , by the birdie boys that is and not by me may I add Really? I think of blue, great and longtail as being the common ones, they come to the feeders in waves, almost in spieces order. Then we get the odd coal tits. Marsh tits down the river but I'm yet to see the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 36 minutes ago, Mice! said: Really? I think of blue, great and longtail as being the common ones, they come to the feeders in waves, almost in spieces order. Then we get the odd coal tits. Marsh tits down the river but I'm yet to see the others. With living on the coast, most of the birds I see on a daily basis are mainly wild fowl and waders , to be honest if I see some of the smaller woodland birds I wouldn't know what they were , I take a lot of interest in the birds I come across, but I am not of these enthusiast who have got a powerful pair of binoculars and tick the different birds off there list . This morning while walking along the estuary wall there were a smallish flock of around 40 / 50 of small brown birds like Sparrows that look like they have only just got here as they were constantly feeding at close quarters , some of the keen bird watchers on here would have known straight away what they were , but I am sorry to say , not me . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnphilip Posted October 5, 2019 Report Share Posted October 5, 2019 Saw a hooded crow yesterday , first time I have seen one in my area , seen plenty further north in Scotland . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted October 6, 2019 Report Share Posted October 6, 2019 22 hours ago, johnphilip said: Saw a hooded crow yesterday , first time I have seen one in my area , seen plenty further north in Scotland . That is the thing in this day and age , you just never know what turn up , a friend of mine shot a Hooded Crow in the Summer , a first for him who is now in his 70s and he had been shooting most of his life. Some of the birds we see most days we now take for granted , several times throughout the Summer I saw the same Bittern down the marsh along with a Great White Egret , these two I knew what they were but the Summer before the local bird watcher pointed out to me a Caspian Tern and on another occasion a Great Knot , to be honest , if I had seen them first I wouldn't have thought they were anything special as they looked very much like the other gulls and waders you see every day , that is the difference with someone who dedicate his life to bird watching and like me who just take an interest with bird life in general . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted October 6, 2019 Report Share Posted October 6, 2019 5 minutes ago, marsh man said: very much like the other gulls and waders you see every day , that is the difference with someone who dedicate his life to bird watching and like me who just take an interest with bird life in general . you'd have me there, the little woodland birds and visitors to my garden I'm ok with, the waders and gulls even a lot of wildfowl I'm lost 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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