THE RSPB at Weymouth Wetlands is holding its annual guided walk to look for one of the reserve’s rarest residents, the bearded tit, on Sunday, October 9.

And there is good news for anyone planning to join them on the Radipole Lake event as the eruptions have started.

The term refers to the juvenile birds’ autumn habit of flocking together, periodically shooting out of the reeds and flying high overhead in all directions and then coming back down again.

Weymouth Wetlands information officer Luke Phillips will be leading the walk, which starts from the visitor centre in the Swannery car park at 9.30am.

He said: “Eruptions are an extra-ordinary sight as these birds are usually very difficult to spot and they’re particularly welcome this year as our bearded tit numbers fell dramatically in the freezing weather.

“There were even fears that we had lost the whole of the breeding population. Then we saw signs of recovery with a number of young ‘beardies’ around. Now it would seem that there are more juveniles here than we expected, which is fantastic news.”

Luke explained: “Every autumn young bearded tits start thinking about dispersing. They flock together and fly around the reserve quite high, looking for new places to colonise. This is why autumn is the best time to see them as they’re also pretty noisy. It’s a fascinating thing to watch as occasionally you’ll see a flock suddenly fly up and off in all directions. I’ve even seen them disappear from the reserve completely. This is why the event is described as an eruption. There are no guarantees of course but it certainly bodes well for people’s chances of seeing these beautiful little birds next Sunday.”

To book a place on the bearded tit walk, call in at the visitor centre in the Swannery car park or phone 01305 778313.

There is a small charge for the event, which goes towards the RSPB’s conservation work.

Dependent on reeds

Bearded tits are rare in the UK, with a breeding population of around 500 pairs.

They are entirely dependent on the type of large reedbeds found at Weymouth wetlands, which is home to virtually the whole Dorset population and around half the breeding birds in the South West.

Misnamed on both counts, bearded tits are more closely related to babblers and the parrotbills of Asia than tits. They’re brightly coloured little birds with long tails. Both male and female are a tawny brown, with black and white wing stripes but the male has a striking blue-grey head and what looks like a big black drooping moustache rather than a beard.

They are often heard before they’re seen, with their excited, metallic pinging call usually the first sign of their presence. They are remarkable birds, varying their diet from insects in the summer to seeds in the winter and reed seeds are a particular favourite. But as with all small birds, they suffer in very cold weather.

Find out more at a blog at rspb.org.uk /weymouthwetlandsblog