AN iconic garden bird is struggling this winter - and a charity is appealing to Dorset residents to help monitor their numbers.

The latest figures released by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) reveal that numbers of blue tits are down this winter, probably due to a wet summer.

During the winter months a lack of food in the wider countryside encourages both adult and juvenile blue tits into gardens, to make use of feeders. However, this November BTO Garden BirdWatchers reported the lowest numbers of blue tits in gardens since 2003, thought to be due to a lack of young birds this year.

Dave Leech, senior research ecologist at the British Trust for Ornithology said: “Data from bird ringers show a 31 per cent reduction in the numbers of young blue tits compared to the average for the last five years. This could be due in part to low numbers of eggs that were laid, with females struggling to get into good condition after a cold, damp start to the spring. Young birds leaving the nest might have also been affected by the wet June weather.”

A spokesman for the charity added: “The explanation for our missing birds can be found by looking back to the early summer. The wet weather across the breeding season, particularly in June, would have made it difficult for the adults to feed themselves and their chicks. 

“Normally we would expect to see large numbers of newly fledged young come into gardens to seek food, but this year BTO Garden BirdWatch results show the lowest numbers of blue tits in August for eight years. This indicates that fewer young birds survived than usual this year and these findings are supported by the preliminary results from the BTO Nest Record Scheme (NRS) and Constant Effort Sites Scheme (CES) which found that blue tits had their worst breeding season on record.”

The charity runs a garden birdwatch survey to help it monitor numbers of a number of different species.

Experts are now asking residents to keep an eye out and send any information on what is happening to the population of blue tits in their gardens.

Claire Boothby, Garden BirdWatch at the British Trust for Ornithology, said: “The Garden BirdWatch survey allows us to better understand garden birds and other wildlife and we’ll be waiting to see how blue tits fare this winter. We would welcome information from garden birdwatchers about what is happening in their gardens.” 

To help the BTO monitor garden birds and take part in Garden BirdWatch please visit www.bto.org/gbw 

You can also email gbw@bto.org or call 01842 750050 (Monday to Friday 9am-5pm).