Press Releases - March/April 2008
Item 8

No. 2008/04/13
April 2008

Spring snow fails to cool passion of breeding birds!

While those of us foolish enough to abandon our winter woollies at the end of March may well have been caught out by the recent blast of Arctic weather, breeding birds have had an even tougher time of it. Or so you’d think, but a pair of Blue Tits in Dorset snubbed their beaks at the frozen conditions and produced the earliest brood of chicks recorded for this species.

For Jason Fathers from Wildlife Windows (www.wildlifewindows.co.uk), keeping a close eye on the nesting behaviour of birds is essential as he spends much of his spring visiting nest boxes early in the season to fit monitoring cameras. Despite his wealth of experience, he was caught completely by surprise during a routine visit to Walford Mill in Dorset on the 8th April, where he found a pair of Blue Tits feeding seven chicks at a time when most birds hadn’t even finished building their nests.

“It’s by far and away the earliest nesting attempt for Blue Tits that I’ve ever seen” said Jason. “Judging by the age of the chicks, the first egg was laid almost exactly one month after Valentine’s Day - when these birds paired up they obviously couldn’t keep their wings off each other!”

“Volunteer recorders have submitted over 120,000 records of Blue Tit nests to the British Trust for Ornithology since the Nest Record Scheme (NRS) began in 1939, yet in all this time, Jason’s record is the earliest ever by almost a week” said Dr Dave Leech, Head of the NRS. “Birds such as the Blue Tit are breeding increasingly early in response to warmer spring temperatures, as they need to keep track of changes in the availability of caterpillars, their main food supply. If the warm weather that stimulates egg laying is followed by a return to winter conditions, the birds may find it hard to gather enough food for themselves and their offspring.”

In order to monitor the effects of the rapidly changing climate, it is becoming increasingly important to collect information about breeding birds. The good news is that you don’t have to be a scientist to help – anyone with a nest box in their garden, school or local green space can register for the free on-line Nest Box Challenge (www.bto.org/nbc), a joint project between BTO and BBC Breathing Places and report what happens.

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Notes for Editors

1. BTO Nest Box Challenge. People are being asked to take up the Nest Box Challenge and register the nest boxes in their gardens, then follow the fortunes of their feathered neighbours. This is being run in conjunction with the BBC’s Breathing Places campaign - for further information on the Challenge visit www.bto.org
2. People who register their nest boxes on the BTO web pages, as part of the Nest Box Challenge, will be asked to provide simple information about their gardens and nest boxes. Then, as the season progresses, each observer will be able to report on which species move in and whether their birds breed successfully. This will provide important information on whether boxes are more successful in different types of gardens, whether different species use nest boxes in different areas of the country, how much later nest building starts in the north of Britain than in the south. We’ll also be able to compare this year’s summer with last year’s wash out.
3. More than 60 species of birds have been recorded using nest boxes. Most commonly, Blue and Great Tits, House Sparrows and Starlings will use the typical round hole design, while Robins, Blackbirds and Spotted Flycatchers prefer open-fronted boxes.
4. Copies of the The BTO Nestbox Guide can be obtained for £7.99 (Plus £3.95 p&p) from The BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU. Telephone 01842 750050.
5. Breathing Places aims to inspire millions of people to get involved with nature, through hands on participation. The campaign aims to build an ‘active’ community via a series of simple and high impact programme-led outreach activities. Everything from exploring and enjoying nature, to planting trees and putting up nest boxes, to transforming the places where you live (for people & wildlife). See www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces.
6. It is quite safe for the birds if you look into nest boxes, but care needs to be taken so please see the guidance notes on the BTO website.
7. Bird photographs are available for use with this press release. Contact for electronic versions. Please quote 2008/04/13
8. The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews.

For further information please contact:

Paul Stancliffe on 01842 750050 or e-mail: (during office hours)

Dr Dave Leech on 01842 750050 or e-mail: (during office hours)