Bearded Tits at Hyde Park, London

It's usually rather difficult to get great views of bearded tits - or bearded reedlings, to use the correct term. They're not actually part of the tit family (nor do they have beards). I have spent many hours staring at reeds, hoping for a beardie to pop up. I have seen them before, but it was always a case of 'ping and gone'.

A couple of weeks ago, a birder reported two female bearded reedlings that had been spotted in Hyde Park - in the middle of London. The first inner London record ever. Apparently, the birds had been seen in mid-December but for some reason were not reported.
You might wonder where in Hyde Park the vast reedbed area might be. Well, there basically isn't one, just a few reeds along Serpentine Lake..and this is where the birds have been feeding every day since they were first seen. To give you an idea...

Yep, that's it! Not only is it a very small area but the birds are also totally unfazed when it comes to being watched and photographed. You could not possibly get any closer to beardies! As more and more photos of these little beauties were posted on the internet, I knew: a trip to London was on the cards!
As photos showed, both birds are ringed and it was possible to read the ring numbers. The beardies, probably sisters, were ringed at Rye Meads, Hertfordshire last November.

When we arrived, both birds were on view, feeding on top of the phragmites. Wow!!


The light wasn't brilliant, the sun only came out for about 5 mins in the 4 hours we spent watching the beardies, but it was a fantastic experience! I felt extremely privileged to be able to get such close-up views of these gorgeous little birds. I took about 1000 photos and had to delete more than 400 there and then because my memory card was full.

This was a unique opportunity to learn about typical bearded reedling behaviour...how they call to each other, how they feed, how they fly down to the bottom of the reeds regularly to drink (the seeds are very dry) and to eat grit (needed for digestion). And all of this only about a couple of metres away!

About to have a drink...note the reflection!

Preening...

What are you looking at?

Doing the splits

Showing off her tiny little wings - perfect for flying where there isn't much room - and her fanned tail for keeping her balance on reeds that tend to sway...

Beauty...

For more photos of these wonderful little birds, please visit my bearded tit photo gallery page.

I got to see many more great birds while in Hyde Park. Most feathered residents are so used to people they won't fly off. Makes a change!

A beautiful common gull and a lesser black-backed gull, swimming on Serpentine Lake while the sun was making a brief appearance.

A cormorant, coming into breeding plumage:

A colourful male common pochard:

An Egyptian Goose...close-up.

A lovely pair of ring-necked parakeets.

 A pair of Northern shovelers doing what they do best..

There is a pair of tawny owls that nest near the lake and I managed to find the male, roosting in a beech tree. I didn't think I'd get a shot, let alone one with his eyes open. But he did wake up, preen and then look right at me! Wonderful!

We had a fantastic time! So I'd thoroughly recommend a trip to Hyde Park. The beardies are still there. If you are in the Southeast...what are you waiting for? :)