Gritting continues especially on cold mornings. On Monday I recorded 14 different birds including 10 at once spread across the three grit trays at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve. Difficult with so many birds present to work out pairings, all your attention goes into recording the colour ring combinations. They performed for ca ten minutes for an audience of 12 delighted birders, some who had never seen bearded Tits before. To date we have recorded 298 sightings of colour ringed birds involving 61 different birds. Of these 34 were adults and 27 birds hatched this year.Of the 61 35 were males and 26 females.
Yesterday though there were just four birds present, two apparent pairs. They gritted as pairs on separate trays. If any of the other pair attempted to join the other pair they were chased off.On checking their records I found they further proved what we have recorded on many occasions that Bearded Tits form pairs in their first autumn and if they survive they stay together through the year.
The first pair were hatched in spring 2015. They were first recorded together on 26th September and were recorded together on 5 occasions on the grit trays in October and November that year. This year they have been recorded together, either retrapped or sighted on the grit trays on 11 occasions.
The other pair were recorded together on seven occasions from late September to November in 2015.They we caught together on June 6th this year and have been recorded together on five occasions this October/November.
Very few other species form pairs early in life or remain together in successive winters.
John
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