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Reposted by Wild Horizons

Lesser Spot Network @lesserspotnet.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Very promising results for protecting Willow Tit nests and good work by @wildhorizons.bsky.social . We love all Woodpeckers, but Great Spots are the culprits here.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

The last Willow Tit nest of the season now fledged, successfully protected from Great Spotted Woodpecker predation. No GSW predation in protected nests this year, in stark contrast to 100% predation rate by GSW in unprotected nests. Very promising results.

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Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Young Willow Tits have distinctive food-demand calls, heard in this clip: a musical 'dee-doo-derr'. Very different from Marsh Tit (sissi-sit). Some adult WT calls here too: a nasal 'nerr nerr', sounds like having an argument with a Yorkshireman. More in the book: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/marsh-tit...

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Always nice to see late nests successful. 8 Willow Tit nestlings now fledged from this protected cavity. They’re being fed by both parents, moving through a beautiful valley that’s in the process of rewilding. Soon they’ll disperse, search for a mate and home range and they’re only a few weeks old!

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Update: An eerie silence at this nest site today. With the usual footpath access blocked, we could only observe the nest from c. 100 m downhill. A GSW has broken into the side of the cavity, causing another nest failure. In 2 seasons we’ve found 3 nests in this territory, all destroyed by GSW.

A snag in an Ash tree showing a predated Willow Tit nest. A yellow arrow indicates where the birds were entering the nest cavity from the top, a red arrow points to a smashed opening where a Great Spotted Woodpecker has broken into the nest and caused failure.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Over several days, a male Great Spotted Woodpecker has spent more than 8 minutes trying to open up this protected Willow Tit nest. No way into this cavity! Protective mesh guard holding strong.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Another couple of Willow Tit nests have fledged over the last few days. This fledgling wasn’t feeling particularly adventurous at first, looking a little confused that it was suddenly on the wrong side of the hole! So far no predations in protected nests this season.

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Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Nice behaviour capture. At Monks Wood we've found rings of tit broods in Tawny Owl boxes, either caught just after fledging or, like this, just before fledging. Springwatch has filmed Jays doing this at tit nests too.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

The last few days in the nest are a dangerous time for Willow Tit nestlings, their constant loud begging calls giving away their location. On this occasion they attracted the attention of a Tawny Owl, which tried its luck as one of the nestlings was calling from the entrance. This was a close call!

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Post-industrial sites in Wales are important refuges for many species. This site is no exception - closing down in late 80s, it’s now a mosaic of wet woodland, streams, ponds, meadow and shrubland. Willow Tits, Dingy Skippers, Glow-worms… Myriad species are quietly thriving, with zero management.

Willow Tit perched at nest entrance in an alder snag, in wet woodland reclaiming the land after the closure of colliery.

A diverse woodland with a dense understorey, growing on an ex colliery site.

Woodland edge habitat with mature trees, shrubs and meadow, on an ex colliery site.

A species rich meadow growing on an ex colliery site, with several Orchid sp., Birdsfoot Trefoil, Oxeye Daisy, Ragged Robin, Knapweed, Mouse-ear Hawkweed, Yellow Rattle, Wild Strawberry, various Sedge sp. and many more.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

One of 3 Willow Tit fledglings leaving this protected nest, making first steps, hops and flaps into the wild world. A dense understorey is important at this stage, where fledglings can easily hide in cover whilst being fed by their parents and learning to fly.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

A real drama unfolded for this family of Willow Tits today, when their nest (2nd attempt this year) was attacked and cavity opened by GSW, after their 1st nest was predated during the incubation stage. Luckily we found, repaired and meshed it with 3 nestlings still inside, before GSW came back!

Adult Willow Tit with food in its beak perched beside nest cavity in alder snag, the nest protected with mesh to defend against Great Spotted Woodpecker attack.

Alder snag with a Willow Tit nest in, the nest cavity protected with mesh from Great Spotted Woodpecker attack.

Alder snag with a Willow Tit nest in. A fresh hole has been chiselled open by a Great Spotted Woodpecker at the level of the nest. Willow Tit nestlings could be seen through this hole with a torch on arrival at the nest site!

Three Willow Tit nestlings inside a cavity in an alder snag. The hole made by a Great Spotted Woodpecker is now covered with a section of bark and protective mesh fixed around the snag to defend against further attacks.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Willow Tits in Carmarthenshire often share their home ranges with another vulnerable species. This WT nest cavity from last year is the ideal place for a Hazel Dormouse. The abundant and diverse understorey in this wood creates a perfect habitat for this small mammal that rarely touches the ground.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

It’s almost time to say farewell for the season to this amazing pair of Willow Tits, their 8 nestlings due to fledge tomorrow. They’ve made it through attempted Blue Tit eviction, GSW attack, even their own nest cavity falling apart (with a little help from us repairing it). Good luck little ones!

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Willow Tit nest protected today in an Ash snag c. 3.5 m above ground. The entrance hole was slightly enlarged by GSW already when we arrived. 19 minutes after the mesh was installed, a male GSW landed on the Ash trunk adjacent to the nest! Now 8 safe nestlings, due to fledge in next 4-5 days.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Good to have Willow Tit nests protected against GSW attacks with mesh guards. It proved invaluable in deterring this Jay that was looking for an easy meal snatching nestlings from this extremely soft and deteriorated snag.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

It’s amazing how quickly Willow Tit nestlings grow. This nest is the smallest clutch of the season, 6 eggs from which sadly only 3 hatched. These clips are filmed 8 days apart, showing the transformation from tiny pink wrigglers to exceptionally cute Willow Tits! They’ll fledge in about 5 days.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Willow Tits fledging thick and fast at present. We’ve had nests fledge on Sunday, Monday, and today we confirmed breeding in a territory by finding fledglings in a family group. Checked in on these nestlings today (c. 13 days old), thankfully in the shade by standing water so should be cool enough.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

It’s magical to be surrounded by Willow Tit fledglings. This one left the nest yesterday morning and is now c. 330 m northeast with 6 siblings and 2 tired parents! Interestingly, they’re just c. 85 m away from another Willow Tit nest due to fledge tomorrow. It’s about to get busy in this woodland!

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

This is the most beautiful Willow Tit nest of the season so far. The female is currently incubating a clutch of 7 eggs in an ivy covered alder snag beside a stream.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

This male Willow Tit is a Superdad! Last year he permanently injured his leg fighting off a GSW when his nestlings were about to fledge. It’s been wonderful to follow him this year all season, now caring for his 7 nestlings almost ready to fledge. Good luck to him and his family!

Male Willow Tit leaving the nest cavity with a fecal sac.

Male Willow Tit balancing on one leg on a branch with a beak full of food for his nestlings.

Male Willow Tit perched on a barbed wire fence, with a cranefly in his beak, before feeding it to his nestlings.

Female Willow Tit perched on mossy bark concealing protective mesh around the nest cavity, with a caterpillar in her beak, with a nestling almost ready to fledge at the nest entrance.

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Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Book discount! Treat yourself this Bank Holiday, there's a whopping 30% discount on my Poyser book on everything you wanted to know about Marsh Tits & Willow Tits - hardback, flexi/paperback and Ebook. Perfect beach reading 😉 www.bloomsbury.com/uk/marsh-tit... #ornithology #ukbirding

bloomsbury.com

The Marsh Tit and The Willow Tit

'A superb account of the ecology and behaviour of two declining bird species whose lives are intimately shaped by their woodland habitats.' – Rob Fuller'There c…

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

It’s lovely approaching a Willow Tit nest and hearing the distinctive “Dee Doo Der” of nestlings demanding food. These 7 are almost ready to fledge, with the parents often feeding them at the nest entrance. It’s hard to even endoscope without tickling them on the head!

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

It’s a busy time for Willow Tits. In a couple of hours today, at this nest the pair had to chase off a Blue Tit, Grey Squirrel, Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Marsh Tit. That’s on top of constantly feeding the 7 nestlings inside this (now protected) willow snag, feeding themselves, AND bath time!

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Willow Tit nest protection in action. A mossy bark camouflage conceals the protective mesh guard underneath. The Willow Tits continued feeding nestlings within 5 minutes, whilst a Great Spotted Woodpecker was foraging in the canopy above. Nest now monitored with a trail camera.

Willow Tit entering nest cavity 5 minutes after a protective mesh guard has been installed and covered with mossy bark.

Willow Tit nest with a protective mesh guard fitted around the cavity in an alder snag. A trail camera installed on adjacent tree to monitor the nest site.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

New Willow Tit nest found today in a completely unmanaged wet woodland, growing on a former colliery for the last 30 years. Beautiful habitat with a dense and diverse understorey. The nest cavity is in an alder snag, with the entrance a metre above the ground concealed under Bramble!

Regenerating post-industrial site with wet woodland. A red arrow points to the exact location of a Willow Tit nest in an alder snag.

An alder snag with a Willow Tit nest in dense Bramble.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

This year @birdsinwales.bsky.social kindly awarded us a grant to purchase trail camera equipment. @naturespy.bsky.social have also generously loaned us trail cameras. These cameras allow us to monitor Willow Tit nests at a landscape scale, gathering important data around the clock.

An image of a trail camera with the front open in the process of being set up in a willow copse on a Willow Tit nest.

An image showing a Willow Tit nest with a protective mesh guard to stop Great Spotted Woodpecker attack, with a cellular trail camera installed in an adjacent tree.

An image of a pair of Willow Tits on the front of a willow snag where they are excavating a nest chamber.

An image of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker perched on an alder snag inspecting a Willow Tit nest, just prior to breaking into the nest cavity.

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Ben Secker @bensecker.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Managed to spend a few hours this week watching a pair of our Willow Tits bringing a variety of food items to the nest. Mainly caterpillars, but also many spiders, aphids and craneflies. A balanced diet keeping the full brood healthy so far, and should be fledging in the next few days... #UKBirding

A Willow Tit perching with food items in the bill.

A Willow Tit perching with multiple food items in its bill.

A Willow Tit perching with many food items in its bill, including spiders and caterpillars.

A crowded brood of Willow Tit chicks inside the cavity.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Another Willow Tit nest found today, a clutch of 7 nestlings in a willow snag in wet woodland. Interestingly, again there’s lots of moss in the cavity, suggesting there have been some curious goings on in the last few weeks!

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Fascinating Willow Tit nest. Found as a part excavation (c. 25 mm) on 9th April, today there’s a female on 7 eggs. The most amazing part is the moss! Not a typical WT nest material. Most likely Wren took over for a while and filled the cavity with moss up the walls and roof before WTs came back.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Update: The pair of Marsh Tits that pushed Willow Tits out of their first breeding attempt are nesting in an alder snag c. 30 m to the south. 6 nestlings (over 10 days old), cavity c. 1.2 m above ground and interesting that they are in a dead snag rather than a live tree cavity.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Extensive, unmanaged woodland habitats, abundant deadwood and understorey layer, good connectivity at a landscape scale, a paradise for Willow Tits. But there’s trouble in paradise. Another territory checked just a day too late. GSW predation hitting hard in Carmarthenshire.

An image of a Willow Tit territory with wet woodland, a stream flowing through the centre and lots of Angelica growing beneath Willows and Alders.

An image of a predated Willow Tit nest in an Alder snag. A clutch of 8 eggs were hatching when a GSW attacked and killed 4 nestlings and the remaining 4 eggs were abandoned. The nest hole has been enlarged by the woodpecker.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Nestlings hatching today in this Willow Tit nest. Without protective mesh installed, it would have been game over the moment this GSW did one quick circuit around the snag. Willow Tits in the UK don’t need woodland management with chainsaws, they need rewilding and immediate help on the ground.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Always exciting to track down Willow Tit nests in new territories, searching for snags and wood chips on moss, enjoying the habitats like this amazing Hazel copse on limestone boulders. Not so exciting finding Blue Tits inside! Back to square one again…

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

9/9, a full house in this Willow Tit nest! The cavity was excavated in a willow snag peppered with fresh GSW feeding damage, so no chances are taken and the nest is now protected with a mesh guard and mossy camouflage.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

With a 77% decline in Willow Tit across the UK between 2024-2025 (BBS), every nest counts. Wherever possible, we protect Willow Tit nest cavities from GSW attack with mesh guards. On public sites we add additional camouflage to keep the nest discreet and blending in with the natural surroundings.

An image of a Willow Tit perched on the front of its nest cavity in a willow snag on the edge of a woodland. The Willow Tit has a caterpillar in its bill to feed the nestlings inside. The nest cavity has been covered with a mesh guard to protect from Great Spotted Woodpecker attack, and a layer of mossy bark has been secured over the top to camouflage the nest.

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Richard K Broughton @richardkbroughton.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

UK Great Spotted Woodpeckers & Blue Tits destroy half of all Willow Tit nests, far higher than elsewhere, far higher losses than other tits. UK has among highest GSW & Blue Tit abundance in the World, as we've created a paradise of endless free food, safe nestboxes, and few nest predators (martens).

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

For 7 days, a pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker kept a close eye on this Willow Tit nest. The male GSW took 3 minutes to destroy it. The clutch of 9 eggs were left by the GSW and abandoned by the Willow Tits. It’s touch and go if the WTs have a last nesting attempt this season…

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Willow Tits seem to be having a hard season so far, with quite a few pairs behind schedule (Blue Tit evictions, GSW attacks etc.) so it’s nice to start seeing some nestlings.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

We intervened when the back of this Willow Tit nest split and a section fell inside the cavity during recent dry weather. New cosy bark back section in place and nest now safely protected against Great Spotted Woodpecker attack with mesh guard.

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Lesser Spot Network @lesserspotnet.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Our LesserSpotNet volunteers have data on 4 LSW nests so far, all with 5 or 6 eggs, a good number. 3 have hatched which is very early, they will fledge around 21 May (average 30 May). So look out for adults bringing food to the nest & let regional co-ordinators know www.woodpecker-network.org.uk

woodpecker-network.org.uk

Woodpecker Network - Home

A forum to encourage and facilitate the study of woodpeckers in Britain and Ireland

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Ed Horncastle @edhorncastle.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Lesser spots male keep young warm overnight. He was still doing so until 10 today. Kept popping out to feed. Female arrived to much relief about 10. A privilege to monitor these nests for @lesserspotnet.bsky.social #Birds The birds then were swapping over every 12 minutes on average.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

The stakes are high for Willow Tits at this time of the year… literally! This pair are still nest building in their cavity c. 6 m up in this Ash snag. They’ve moved 300 m northwest from their first attempt, destroyed by Great Spotted Woodpecker on 27th March. This is likely third try now!

Image of a pair of Willow Tits perched on top of a dead snag in a large Ash tree. One of the birds is carrying nesting material.

Image of a large dead Ash tree, with a red arrow pointing to the exact location of a Willow Tit nest. The dead Ash tree is in an old hedge line of Hazel, Willow, Hawthorn and Oak, on the boundary of a grassy field and a conifer plantation in a valley.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Blue Tits are a problem for Willow Tits, often taking over WT nest cavities by aggressive eviction. With 6 WT eggs inside, these BTs spent an entire day removing nesting material! The second day was full on warfare, ending in successful WTs. Now a full clutch of 8 eggs safely under incubation. Phew!

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Ben Secker @bensecker.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

UPDATE: Captured some footage of a male (presumably same pair) GSW checking out the cavity in a similar manner to the female in my previous post, then this a few days ago. Still going, just… #UKBirding #Ornithology

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Willow Tits don’t have it easy, particularly in the UK. After being chased out of their first cavity by Marsh Tits, this pair of WT is now under close scrutiny from a pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Lesson in rewilding from an abandoned field in Carmarthenshire - Willow, Oak, Hawthorn, Bramble racing through the grasses. No habitat management plan, no livestock, no fences, no cost. Willow Tit singing at the bottom of the field. #EarthDay

An image of a field in Wales covered in Bramble, with Willow trees and Hawthorn. Willow Tits have a territory here. The field has been abandoned for many years.

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Willow Tit nest found today in an old snag, on the edge of a small Willow copse, above a wet ditch. The female is incubating a clutch of 8 precious eggs, the male regularly calling her off to feed her, the snag peppered with GSW scars…

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Wild Horizons @wildhorizons.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Lovely to spend time with this pair of Willow Tits today, during our monitoring visit, as they slowly moved around their territory feeding.

An image of a Willow Tit perched in the canopy of a Hazel.

An image of a Willow Tit perched on an Oak branch. This bird was in the process of opening up freshly emerging leaves and buds.

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