The Marsh Tits of Roudsea Wood

Summer 2003

All my birding life, the most frequent comment that I recall reading for 'Marsh Tit' in the systematic list of any county bird report is words to the effect: "All records for this under-reported species should be submitted". When I moved to Cumbria in October 2001 one of the first places I explored was Roudsea Wood and Mosses National Nature Reserve. My very first impression of it was of the apparently high density of Marsh Tits - they seemed to be "pitchewing" at my intrusion every few steps! The place seemed to be crying out for a properly organised ringing study. With the co-operation of local Site Manager Rob Petley-Jones, and by getting enlisted as a voluntary warden with English Nature, the way was clear for me to start in August 2002. By placing feeding stations strategically around the wood I began catching tits of all kinds in large numbers and by the end of the year had ringed 25 Marsh Tits.

 This seemed an extremely promising start and when Barrow ringer Ken Hindmarch agreed to collaborate, we registered the project as a formal RAS study (Recapture of Adults for Survival) with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) in the new year. We obtained a permit to use unique colour ring combinations (in addition to BTO metal rings) in order that birds could be individually recorded in the field without the need to recapture them, and we began targeted trapping in earnest.

 We target Marsh Tits by looking for unringed birds in a territory and then set up a temporary feeding station of black sunflower seeds nearby, returning a couple of days later to catch them. As easy as that! In fact, targeting in this way is so effective that we have often caught a pair within minutes of erecting the mist net.

 By the first week of June we had ringed 71 Marsh Tits, of which about 65 are uniquely colour-ringed. Forty two have been ringed, recaptured or resighted since April 1st, the official start of the RAS season - we are confident of passing 50 by the end of the season (August 31st).

 Of course the project is still in its early stages, but by using GPS to plot out the locations of singing males, and also recaptures of birds in breeding condition, we estimate there are over 30 pairs of Marsh Tits in the wood. We know that in winter birds roam widely throughout the wood, and in spring become very territorial.

 This is a long term study and it will be a year or two yet before we can suggest a likely survival rate of Marsh Tits from year to year, but we have made a most encouraging start and look forward to updating readers with progress from time to time.

 Jim Fowler