Log-tailed tit nest

A minor disaster occurred during our latest bramble-bashing work party on 28th March.  We came upon the beautifuly constructed nest a of some long-tailed tits.  The whole thing was covered in pale green lichen flakes, woven together with moss and spider silk and suspended in a bramble bush about a metre above ground level.

By the time we saw it it was too late to save.  There were no eggs inside but we felt a bit guilty.  The birds had taken such care to make the nest and they had lined it with thousands of their own feathers.

Inside the nest

This is a good lesson for us:  not to do too much scrub clearance after mid-March.  Apparently Long-tailed Tit nests suffer a lot of predation and only 17% successfully produce new birds.  At least there were no eggs or young birds in the nest we disturbed.

An adult long-taled tit