Having spent ages staring at vast reed beds every winter and only ever
catching the briefest of glimpses of bearded tits - or bearded reedlings, to use the
correct term, as they are not actually members of the tit family at all -
I was very happy to learn
of the presence of two young females that decided to spend several weeks in
Hyde Park, London in the winter of 2012/2013
.
The two little beauties were incredibly confiding and gave anyone who wanted
to see them the most perfect views, feeding
on top of phragmites in the smallest 'reed bed' you have ever seen, about 2
metres from people watching them. Absolutely fantastic!
It was even possible to read the BTO rings on their little feet in many of
the photos that were taken. Both birds - probably siblings - were
ringed at Rye Meads in Hertfordshire in November 2012. They even got a
mention on BBC's Winterwatch!
I hope you'll enjoy my favourite shots.
Please click on the
thumbnails for a larger version.
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