Bearded Tits Set a Record

Bearded Tits can have  several broods a year.  We have had newly fledged young in September and as they start  nesting in late March they need a quick turn round after each brood . We ringed a brood of two in one of our reed wigwam nest boxes on 20th April and they fledged on the 24th. Bearded Tits  have a very short fledging period of around 12 days and both parents incubate the eggs and tend the young.

From our colour ringing  we have established that the same pair had laid  the first egg of their second brood on 27th April in the next nest box ca 25 m away from the first. Only 3 days after the young from the first brood had fledged. The female laid 8 eggs and they have just hatched. From previous studies the average time between  the young fledging and the first egg is 9.6 days with the shortest being the present pair.
John