Marsh Tits

I usually only get to glimpse Marsh Tits. They are small, quick, beautiful and elusive. Unlike other Tits they seem to be more wary of coming to feeders and, when they do, they don’t stick around.

I was delighted when this one came close enough for long enough for me to photograph it:

Marsh Tit - Stover - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

Marsh Tit numbers have dropped by 50% in the UK since the 1970s. That’s in line with the destruction by humans of other bird species, and starting from a point when numbers were historically low anyway.

Here’s one in Italy:

I’ve seen one from a hide before, which certainly helped to get close:

Nothing beats the view I have of this one, though. It’s a precious relic of a once abundant wildlife past:

Marsh Tit - Stover - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

What’s your favourite elusive species?

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