Bearded Reedlings

It was up and out well before sunrise this morning (Sunday) and heading north as the threat of sunrise dawned. We were after the elusive Bearded Tit, which isn’t a Tit at all but a Reedling – different family of birds altogether. To say they are elusive is somewhat of an understatement as they are not an easy bird to find at any time of year. They are a true bird of the reeds – specifically Phragmites reed – otherwise known as Common Reed.

This reed has been used by man going back to Neolithic times, when thatching of roofs traditionally relied on the locally available plant material as reed and sedges in wetlands, straw in arable regions or heather in the Scottish Highlands. Common Reed as thatching material has a history of thousands of years starting when man first became a ‘farmer’ and is still used all over the UK today. Now in wildlife terms there are numerous species of wildlife that are completely dependent on Phragmites – the two most well-known, are birds – the Bittern and the Bearded Reedling. And in many places where you get one you usually get the other! It was to such a site we were heading for this morning – the Premier RSPB Reserve in the North West Leighton Moss – well known for having breeding populations of both these reedbed species – Bittern and Bearded Reedling.

The reason for our adventure was that this is one of the times of year when if the conditions are right and you know where to look you are pretty much guaranteed to see the reedling.

Why is autumn the peak time for finding and watching this elusive little bird I hear you ponder!! Well, like many birds, the reedlings feast on invertebrates throughout spring and summer when the reedbeds are packed with these insects. But in autumn when this protein-rich food source starts to naturally disappear, the birds need to look elsewhere for food that will carry them through autumn and winter until the following Spring when the insects reappear

Autumn is when they change their diet and focus on the plentiful seeds easily found in the reedbeds. But to allow the change to digest these small, hard seeds they need to break them up to get to the useful bits. So having no teeth the reedlings need to come up with a cunning plan! So, through October and into November the birds need to eat grit which sits in their crop (a little pouch in their throat) and grinds up the seeds as they eat them.

So the RSPB, being a clever organisation, sussed out that they could use bird tables, not for bird food but if they provided grit and sand on these ‘tables’ the Reedlings would soon find them and use the ready-made grit in their crop food processors. Then when the birds packed onto the tables it was decided that if the ‘tables’ were placed where visitors, with a bit of luck, could see the birds collecting the grit and be treated to good views of this beautifully coloured birds.

This was what we were hoping to see - and boy did we get some superb views!! Here’s a shot of a male Bearded Reedling.