One for all and all for one

Val is delighted to see a flock of around 20 long-tailed tits on her bird table for months on end this winter

- Val Bourne

THIS winter I have noticed slightly different activity on the bird table compared to previous years. Birds like the nuthatch, which are usually only seen in November, have visited the feeders on a daily basis for months. Like Spitfire pilots, these birds zoom in on mainly the peanuts, and then they’re gone in a second.

We’ve also had a flock of about 20 long-tailed tits for months on end. They make fluttering notes as they sweep through the garden on their way to raid the fat balls, looking almost like musical notes on a stave. And their song is surprisingly loud, considering their size.

Long-tailed tits are tiny, gregarious birds that have hardly any body fat and on average weigh only 7-10g (about 1⁄3oz). They tend to concentrate on the fat balls, although I have seen them take sunflower seeds on occasion. Their numbers are pretty stable and it’s thought there are around 340,000 territories. These birds have definitely been helped by gardeners putting out fat balls during the colder months.