Surrey voted tops for tits in birdwatching poll

It's the most wooded county in England after all

Surrey is the best place in England to spot tits in gardens, a survey has revealed.

The British Trust for Ornithology's Garden Birdwatch showed that a greater percentage of leafy Surrey's gardens were visited by Blue Tits and Great Tits than any other country.

Householders in the stockbroker belt taking a peek into their back gardens stood an 95 per cent chance of seeing a Blue Tit, and an 84 per cent chance of seeing a Great Tit.

The BTO suggested that Surrey folk were currently taking up front row seats for tit-spotting, as the "colourful and acrobatic species are now laying their eggs".

Surrey was also the best place to spot Nuthatches, the survey found, and the second best to spot a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

The Trust pointed out that Surrey was the most wooded county in England, which was a key reason for the preponderance of tits, nuthatches and woodpeckers.

Perhaps surprisingly it's not a Thrush hotspot, with just 20 per cent of gardens getting a visit.

Full details of the survey here. ®