Lift Off!!

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Millions of baby blue tits will be taking to the air for the first time this month. It's a bit of a damp start for many with all the rain showers hitting the UK at the moment.


Incredibly only about one in ten will see their first birthday. They're an easy target for predators like sparrowhawks and many fall prey within the first few days of leaving the nest. Blue tits have broods with up to ten chicks, so these high losses rarely have any impact on the tit population from year to year.



Latin name: Parus caeruleus

Size: Grows to around 11.5cms

Distribution: Found throughout the UK.

Months seen: All year.

Habitat: Woodlands, parks and gardens.

Food: Seeds in winter, and insects in summer.

Special features: The blue tit was originally a woodland bird, but it is now commonly seen feeding and nesting in gardens.

In Britain, the female lays 7 to 14 eggs, between April and June, but there is only one batch each year.

Although there are a large number of chicks in each brood, many die or are killed by predators within the first few weeks of leaving the nest.

Their acrobatic abilities make them the most frequently seen birds on garden bird tables and peanut feeders.

ahhh beautiful creatures great post helen xx

My mum and dad have got lots of baby birds in their garden at the moment - lovely to see x

i bet it is! xx

The baby woodpecker is my favourite x

wow, they have a woodpecker! thats great! xx

They have had them every year for as long as I can remember - last year they had two different families, this year just the one, Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers x

that is amazing, love woody woodpeckers! !!! xx

Me too - at Marbury Country Park there are the Lesser Spotted, Greater Spotted and the Green Woodpeckers - all breeding x

omg woody woodpeckers everywhere!!!!!!!!!!! we have a breeding pair in the wood next to me - i think there a breeding pair anyway haha xx

Aww I love blue tits!

When we use to live in Germany our house was on the edge of a wood and the blue tits were really friendly and use to sit on your hands to eat seeds out of your palm. One of my fondest memories when I was a kid.

Do you no i only see Pigeons or crows in my garden dont think ihave seen any pretty birds ...x

I look at about 100 budgies!

My grand had a budgie - a blue one, really pretty but I must admit watching the birds on my mum and dad's feeders is fantastic, must get some pictures

my grandad used to have loads of budgies and he used to show them - he won LOTS of medals and trophies xx