'Beardies' at Radipole Lake, Dorset

 

Bearded Tit - RSPB Radipole Lake, Dorset, UK - 6 January 2026

Surely one of the most charismatic of reedbed birds, as well as one of the most scarce, the Bearded Tit (or more strictly Bearded Reedling, see later) Panurus biarmicus is a highlight of any day's birdwatching. I'm lucky that my local reserve at Radipole Lake is one of the best places in Britain to see this species, and today's crisp, sunny (and cold) winter morning promised ideal viewing conditions. I headed off in a state of great anticipation.

Bearded Tit habitat - reedbeds at Radipole Lake.

Not that Bearded Tits are always easy to see. For me, that's part of the appeal. Reedbeds are notoriously good at hiding their inhabitants, which makes it all the sweeter when you finally get a glimpse of something. But if you are planning an encounter with Beardies then Radipole Lake, which lies in the middle of Weymouth on the Dorset coast (link to reserve information here), has several key advantages.

First, and most importantly, it hosts fairly stable numbers of the species. I say 'fairly', because Bearded Tits are prone to population fluctuations, especially following severe winter weather. This year some 13 breeding pairs were recorded across the two main Weymouth reserves - Radipole Lake and nearby Lodmoor - which is a reduction from the 22 pairs confirmed across the two sites in 2024. The highest that this number has reached is a count of 35 breeding pairs in 1989. Mind you, it must be difficult to get fully accurate counts of this elusive bird.

It's worth adding that there will often be more Beardies around Radipole and Lodmoor than the above figures might suggest. One breeding pair may have three or even four broods in a season, and each clutch can contain up to five or six eggs. Non-br,eeding birds will therefore add to the breeding population, leading to surprisingly large flocks especially later on in the year. My own record for Radipole was a flock of 16 some years ago. Although generally faithful to a single area, which will almost always be a large reedbed, Bearded Tits are known to to be efficient dispersers, and there have been many records of large flocks leaving their wetland homes ('irruptions') during autumn. This is more likely to take place if the seed crop of reeds, which is their main winter food source, has failed. 

Before researching this post I hadn't realised that (in modern times at least) Bearded Tits are a relatively recent arrival in Dorset. Across Britain as a whole, the species almost became extinct after the winter of 1947, with a few birds just hanging on in East Anglia. In Dorset, post-war breeding was first recorded in 1967 - at Radipole Lake, as it happens. It is a special place for these birds.

Bearded Tit - Radipole Lake - 6 January 2026

Radipole's other main advantage for Bearded Tit-watchers, and indeed seekers after other reedbed specialities such as Marsh Harrier and Cetti's Warbler, is its accessibility. The reserve is a short walk from Weymouth station and benefits from a truly massive car park (but avoid the place on a busy summer's day when holiday-makers are heading to the nearby beach). There are several paths through the reserve that allowing close views into the reeds, while shelters and platforms provide vantage points where you can scan for more distant flying birds. (Note: some of these facilities may be due for removal in the near future as a result of the RSPB's recent re-evaluation of reserve visitor facilities).

Given both the extent of the reedbeds within the Radipole Lake reserve and the mobility of Bearded Tits within that habitat, there are no guarantees about where (or indeed whether) any will turn up. In recent years, the Buddleia Loop has been a productive location, particularly near to the low stone bridge towards the north of the reserve. However, in the last couple of years the best place to start looking has been - conveniently enough - just over the bridge by the reserve's Discovery Centre and car park. 

Discovery Centre - RSPB Radipole Lake

And indeed today I was greeted by the encouraging sight of several birdwatchers on this very bridge pointing cameras into the reeds. A small number of Beardies were dangling off seed-heads, performing all sorts of acrobatics as the reed stems swayed gently from side to side: conditions that were not ideal for photography, needless to say. The birds that I photographed were all neat males, looking dapper with their drooping, pantomime villain-like moustaches (surely not "beards"?).  While the females share the same overall light brown colouration, their brown and white heads lack the grey and black combination that makes the males appear so striking. None turned up while I was looking.

Bearded Tit - Radipole Lake - 6 January 2026

I've referred to these birds as Bearded Tits for most of this post but, as mentioned at the start, the species is now called Bearded Reedling in most sources, including the HBW/Birdlife Checklist that I (usually) take as my starting point. This is fair enough as, first, the species is almost always found in and around reeds and, second, it is emphatically not a tit: this seems to have been an error started by taxonomist Carl Linnaeus as early as the 1750s. Its exact position on the tree of life has been a matter of subsequent debate, which now seems to have been resolved by creating a new family - the Panuridae - and making it the sole member. While this could be seen as a bit of a cop-out, it does reinforce the peculiarly distinct nature of this marvellous little bird. Which can only be a good thing.

Happily, at the time of writing the Bearded Tit is not listed as a bird of conservation concern in the UK (link to BTO Red List website here) and given its wide distribution, which extends eastwards across Europe and Asia to China, and a generally increasing population trend, it is classed as being of 'least concern' in worldwide conservation terms (link to IUCN Red List website here). Nevertheless, as its habitat preferences are so restricted, the species' future prospects will inevitably be tied to the future of wetland areas in general and reedbeds in particular.  And clearly there are many issues affecting such areas, most notably (at the moment in the UK) water quality. But that's for another blog post, maybe.

References

Birds in England (Andy Brown & Phil Grice) 2005 (T & AD Poyser)

Dorset Bird Report 2024 (Dorset Bird Club) - recommended!