BLUE TIT NUMBERS FELL IN MILD SPRING

A warm spring is being blamed for a drop in blue tit numbers. The British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO’s) Garden BirdWatch survey suggested the mild weather led to caterpillars turning into butterflies earlier in the season, meaning there were fewer available for blue tits to feed to their chicks. Great tit numbers also fell, but more long-tailed tits were spotted. The BTO’s Robert Jacques said: ‘We will be watching with a keen eye over the coming months to see how blue tits handle this winter.’