The Lincolnshire Bird Club

The Firecrest was still present. A Willow Tit at the south end was my first area record since 2004. Also seen were 5 Song Thrushes, Stonechat, Brambling, Water Rail, 16 Pink-footed Geese and 65 Brent Geese.

Great record Steve, especially considering the marked decline Willow Tit is suffering nationally. In comparison to Willow, I'm presuming over the years you've encountered more Marsh Tits along the coast?

Regards

Chris

Marsh Tit Chris? Mega rarity on the coast. Guess the reported Song Thrush fall did not hit Donna? Certainly none up here

I know there hasn't been any Marsh Tits in recent times (off the top of my head I can't recall reading of any in my birding years) but wondered if Steve's recorded any in much earlier days. I recall one was recorded at North Cotes (1980's?). Has Gib had any? I've known Spurn to have the odd one.

Tony Housman and Steve Meek noted an arrival of Song thrushes between Stonebridge and Pyes today with 6-8 birds in Pyes itself.

Regards

Chris

Reading up in Birds of Lincolnshire & South Humberside I now see Willow Tit was on the increase and breeding at several coastal sites from 1972.

Marsh Tit quoted as rare and irregular on coastal passage with only 14 records of one or two birds during the last 30 years

There is a record of a Marsh Tit at Gib as recent as 06/04/11 (as per Birdguides)

With the marked decline of Willow Tit I suspect the coastal occurrences of Willow Tit over Marsh Tit won't be quite as clear cut in the future.

Regards

Chris

There are only two records of Marsh Tit for Donna Nook, both confirmed by call. These were single birds on 16th April 1970 and 23rd April 1994.

Willow Tits were practically unknown on the north-east coast prior to the mid 1960s, but in the late 1960s and 1970s they became regular on the dunes in very small numbers mainly between early July and the end of November or early December. Most records referred to 1-2 birds, but up to 5 were occasionally recorded. 1-2 were sometimes present in winter, but spring birds were rare and irregular in April or early May. Records became sporadic in 1981 and 1982 and only the occasional bird was noted after 1983. Before today's sighting, the only birds in the present century were singles seen on 30th November 2003, and trapped and ringed on 21st and 28th June 2004. Despite breeding being reported at some coastal sites, it was never suspected at Donna Nook.

On the subject of Song Thrushes, the 5 birds that I recorded this morning just dropped in as I was about to leave the dunes at 1045.

Thanks for the facts and figures Steve. I always enjoy reading such informative posts about Donna Nook

Chris

A Marsh Tit was in the Plantation at Gib as recently as 20th August this year. It was regularly seen at the feeding station and was present for about a week. A Gib tick for some of the regulars!

Regards

Nige

I too, saw and heard a Marsh Tit at Gibraltar Point on September 19th 1998
Below are the notes I made later that day

"With the exception of a flock of 95 eider that dropped close in shore and a peregrine, I’d had a fairly fruitless stroll along the beach to the mouth of the Steeping.
The return along the beach produced plenty of dunlin, the odd sandwich tern, one bar tailed godwit and not much else (even the eider had disappeared)
Warm and thirsty, time for a decision! Did I have another look on the lagoon and mere, or did I make my way back to the car in the main car-park? The car won but first a quick detour along the bushes between the shorebird wardern’s hut and the ringing observatory.
Turning the corner by the tern hut I immediately heard a bird calling. “No, surely not”. Stopping by post six, was it or wasn’t it? Where was it? “Pitchoo”, surely it couldn’t be a marsh tit at Gib? Suddenly the bird came out of the bushes straight at me. Definitely a marsh tit. Seeing me, stood there; it was a quick 360° turn and back into the bushes. Pausing just long enough on a branch to give me a brief view, it soon moved further into the bushes.
After a few minutes waiting for the bird to re-appear I decided to move on a little further up the path. Stopping again by the ruined bench. “Pitchoo”, there it was, right in front of me, on a branch only the length of a cricket pitch away. Pristine glossy black cap and bib showing well in the bright sunshine. Excellent views before it was up into the air, over my head and heading out over the salt-marsh towards the Wash. Just as I lost sight of it in the sun, it decided to come back and settled in an elderberry bush, again close by. Giving more good views before it again, disappeared deeper into the bushes"