B/tits G/tits. Bad year?

[Acipiter]

Was it a bad breeding year this year for this species, or may it as I suspect just have been a local problem. The reason I ask is the prey items brought in by the breeding sparrow hawks I am studying/ monitoring, was for the first time in many years very low this year. Most of the prey this year where made up of mainly finches, m/ pipits. This last species I have not recorded before in four of the pairs I monitored. All of this year s/hawk pairs I studied, were successful this year, and have now dispersed.

[Deb London]

It has been a successful year for them in my area. Great Tits and Blue Tits in almost every other large tree I study.

[htcdude]

Seem to be a usual number of Tits (Long-tailed as well) whenever I go out, not noticed a drop.

Nige

[Dogghound]

Tit numbers can fluctuate especially after such a hard winter as our last one, so there may have been a local decline in breeding pairs which has influenced your sparrowhawks diet. It is worth considering any large scale habitat change in the local area as well i.e. woodland clearence which may have influenced prey. Also is it the same pair you watched last year? are they both the same individuals? Younger birds tend to forage in more open habitats.

[Acipiter]

I believe you may well have the answer there Doghound, at lest with one of the pairs, there was some woodland clearance. I did know about fluctuation in populations of tits, due to weather, and its effect on food availability. I am not sure about all the pairs having the same partners, but two pairs certainly were. As you can appreciate there is only one of me, and I can not be in two places at the same time. Some of these pairs are some distance apart, and I simply don't have the time to do a in-depth study of six pairs. I just wondered if this was more wide spread then my neck of the woods. I thank you all very much for your input. Roll on next year. Alan.

[tigertom]

Tit no's near to me seem about same as last year but will add was a pair of sparrow hawks nesting near to lake I fish and had noticed the male, did seem to spend a lot of time hunting over a meddow and some reed beds for sedge and red warblers wether this was a this was due to less tits in the near by wood or was a younger bird preferring to hunt in more open space I dont no.
MIKE

[Acipiter]

Thanks for that mike, I don,t suppose you could remember the time of the month that was, as regards to whether there was any b/tit, g/tit fledgeling about at the time. I do realise that still leaves a element of guess work to it, but its better then nothing. If there's any one out there that could help with narrowing the b/tit g/tit fledgling time period down, I would be most grateful.

[tigertom]

Originally Posted by Acipiter

Thanks for that mike, I don,t suppose you could remember the time of the month that was, as regards to whether there was any b/tit, g/tit fledgeling about at the time. I do realise that still leaves a element of guess work to it, but its better then nothing. If there's any one out there that could help with narrowing the b/tit g/tit fledgling time period down, I would be most grateful.

Most of the tits near to me fledged about 2nd week in may I think.
this sparrow hawk was hunting over this meddow and reed bed a lot though may and june tailed from from july, the large meddow is next to a large wood. meddow also had buzzards hunting on there and a kestlrel also used to vist it all three did have nests near by the buzzard and sparrow hawk in the wood the kestrel had a nest in old crows nest in a pylon about 1/4 of a mile away.
MIKE

[Acipiter]

Thanks again for that mike, Its a long while since I did any fishing, and I forgot what the fishing season was now, as to trying up the dates with tit fledgling. I hope that makes sense to you.

Regards Alan.

[tigertom]

Originally Posted by Acipiter

Thanks again for that mike, Its a long while since I did any fishing, and I forgot what the fishing season was now, as to trying up the dates with tit fledgling. I hope that makes sense to you.

Regards Alan.

Sort of
Fishing is all year round on most still waters and canals. and from 16th june to 15th march on rivers and some still waters ie 'those in nat parks or in sssi's and few others' fishing can be great way to watch birds esp carp fishing:
and if you are going to the same lake a lot get to know a lot of the birds round about
MIKE