Monahawk
Well-known member
The title to this post is not as coarse as it might sound to some.
In all my 40+ years of birding, I have never known a spring like this year. Normally at this time of the year one encounters the sounds of young tits being fed in their nests or in trees and hedgerows after flying from their birthplaces. This year I have not heard or seen any. None of my nestboxes were used although some prospecting did take place earlier in the year. The usual likely places for nesting in my area have drawn a blank.
I am certain the Baltic conditions in March and April had a hand in this. It was dry but far too cold. There were no insects or insufficient amounts to sustain breeding pairs when they needed them, so nesting has been given a miss this year. I've noticed the same with local treecreepers.
Has anyone else on here in UK/Ireland or continental Europe noticed anything like this happening to their local tit populations this year?
Si.
In all my 40+ years of birding, I have never known a spring like this year. Normally at this time of the year one encounters the sounds of young tits being fed in their nests or in trees and hedgerows after flying from their birthplaces. This year I have not heard or seen any. None of my nestboxes were used although some prospecting did take place earlier in the year. The usual likely places for nesting in my area have drawn a blank.
I am certain the Baltic conditions in March and April had a hand in this. It was dry but far too cold. There were no insects or insufficient amounts to sustain breeding pairs when they needed them, so nesting has been given a miss this year. I've noticed the same with local treecreepers.
Has anyone else on here in UK/Ireland or continental Europe noticed anything like this happening to their local tit populations this year?
Si.
