Surrey Stands Out for Its Bustling Blue Tits

Published on: 21 Apr, 2026
Updated on: 21 Apr, 2026

Most of us can recognise colourful bluetits.

By Daisy Edwards

Photos by Malcolm Fincham

Have you noticed blue tits in your garden? Are these colourful and recognisable little birds the ones you most frequently spot?

If so, it would not be surprising, according to the results of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2026. It took place, nationwide, over the weekend of January 23-25 this year; participants were asked to spend one hour in their garden, on their balconies or in their local parks.

Click here for RSPB’s blue tit facts

After this, they were asked to count and record the highest number of each bird species that landed in their green space at any one time during their chosen hour.

With the results now published, the ever-present house sparrow took top spot nationwide for the 23rd year running, with the vivacious blue tit coming in a close second.

Here a Surrey’s most common garden bird a blue tit shares a feeder with a cousin great tit.

However, it seems that, in Surrey, the blue tits have bucked the national trend again and come out on top, with the wood pigeon taking the silver and the nation’s victor, the house sparrow, taking the bronze.

This deviation from the rest of the counties has caused interest from birdwatchers and experts alike, as nearby counties like East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent and even Greater London have followed the nationwide trend.

A notable exception is Surrey’s neighbouring county of Hampshire, which saw the house sparrow overtake the wood pigeon for second place for the first time this year, with blue tits coming out as the victors.

Another great shot of a blue tit by The Dragon’s own birdwatching columnist, Malcolm Fincham.

When questioned about this interesting trend, the Dragon’s birdwatching columnist Malcolm Fincham said that he had spotted an increase in blue tits in the area, but also house sparrows: “House sparrows seem to have increased in good numbers, in their small communities, in areas where I live in Stoughton, Guildford, but [I] have to rely on surveys to compare how they are doing in other areas in Surrey. Whereas blue tits do seem to be increasing in my local sightings.”

When asked if he believed there was a reason for Surrey being a must-visit attraction for blue tits, Fincham said: “With Surrey having a higher tree density than any other county in England, [this] probably makes the biggest difference, in my personal view, as they depend on caterpillars and other insects from oaks and many other deciduous trees within our county. This is at a vital time of the year when feeding their young.”

A blue tit perhaps looking for grubs and caterpillars on a gorse bush.

Who knows what the trends will look like for next year’s Birdwatch, but one thing’s for sure, Surrey is a county to watch when it comes to interesting bird sightings.

See: Birdwatcher’s Diary No.347