
Cover of January 2022 issue, showing a picture of Tree Sparrows by Darren Woodhead
Dear Readers, I always read my copy of British Birds magazine with great pleasure, but this month I was especially taken by this illustration showing Tree Sparrows by Darren Woodhead. What a lovely depiction of these birds it is, and especially relevant as an article by Richard Broughton, Jack Shutt and Alexander Lees describes the possible impact of bird feeding on woodland species such as the Willow and Marsh Tits. There is a theory that these rarer tits are being threatened by the year-round feeding that encourages and supports more dominant tit species, such as Blue and Great Tits. In hard winters, the Marsh and Willow Tits, who cache the wild food that they find, will outcompete the commoner species, but if the Blue and Great Tits survive due to our kindness, they will oust the Marsh and Willow Tits during the breeding season by sheer force of numbers. The article is especially concerned about the feeding stations that occur on nature reserves or in woodland areas, rather than gardens, but one suggestion is that providing foods such as millet and cereals will attract more House Sparrows, farmland birds such as Linnets and Redpolls, and, yes, Tree Sparrows.
I don’t think this is a problem where I live – the bird survey that was done in Coldfall Wood didn’t show any Willow or Marsh tits, so I think I’m safe to carry on feeding the Blue and Great tits. I might have a go with some millet though, just to see if anyone else turns up. What’s your experience? I’ve always thought of it as being a low-reward food for the birds, but I know how particular some of them can be.
![Photo One by By Sławek Staszczuk (photoss [AT] hotmail.co.uk), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1550036](https://i0.wp.com/bugwomanlondon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Parus_palustris02.jpg?resize=625%2C547&ssl=1)
Marsh tit (Parus palestris) (Photo One)

Flock of linnets on grass from January issue of British Birds, photo by Alan Larkman
And finally, in the Notes section there is a story about House Martins in The Gambia. I remember watching these birds preparing for the great flight south when I was in Dorset, and I wondered how on earth these little creatures sustained themselves over such great distances. Well, for one thing they seem to take advantage of the invertebrates that are attracted to the flowers of Mango trees. Clive R. Barlow and Brendan Ringstead report a group of over 100 House Martins flying around just such a tree in the Gunjur Lodge. I love the thought that the birds that will soon be scooping gnats from the skies of southern England refuel en route with all manner of exotic invertebrates above a mango tree. The secret lives of birds never fail to fascinate me.

Mango trees in flower (Photo Two)
I am in awe of the Lesser-striped Swallows that return to the same nesting spot under the eaves of our house every year. As for feeding ‘garden’ birds … I find that (as now) when there is plenty of natural food about the birds tend to eschew my offerings. In any case, I only put out food when I am going to have an opportunity to watch birds (while I have tea 🙂 ) as I am mindful of not making them dependent on what I provide. The provision of water is a daily priority though.
We’ve not seen any Willow or Marsh Tits on our feeder. The odd one may have flitted by but they are not here regularly. The Great and Blue Tits dominate, but we also do have Sparrows. I haven’t really taken much notice of them but I’m pretty sure they are not House Sparrows. (I’ll check).