Penduline Tits - masked bandits of the reed mace.

Rare birds turn up in the most unusual places! The Horsbere flood aleviation pond at Brockworth Glocs is hardly the most enticing place  - directly alongside a busy dual carriageway and opposite a Premier Inn its a relatively new area where vegetation is still becoming established and bordered by a stream that looks suspiciously as if its had some uncontrolled storm drains emptying in to it! However, this site has hosted a pair of Penduline Tits or several weeks now and I decided to call in on the way to Somerset recently! I'm glad I did! Although not particularly rare these days they're still uncommon enough and most records are restricted to the south coast or East Anglia. Coincidentally a founding member of Hibre Brids Observatory was instrumental in finding the 1st for Britain way, way back and there have now been over 300 records.

The site is 5 minutes drive off the M5 and I gave myself an hour   -I didn't need it. After being missing for 3 hours I rocked up and they were on show immediately in bushes bordering the stream and making frequent forays back to the alleviation pond and its reed mace. The birds were calling constantly and even singing at one stage. Once i'd tuned in they were relatively easy to pick up on call even when hidden in the reed mace beds. Photographing them was more tricky as they tended to stay deep in the bushes and  when they did emerge the bright sunshine made exposure tricky and created lots of shadows. Still, I'm quite pleased with my efforts.

Saving my favourite and probably the best for last.......................

Its not possible to age these birds as, depending on whereabouts in their breeding range they'v come from, juveniles can undergo a complete post juvenile moult. 

They're super little birds and its been 11 years since I saw my last ones in the UK.