I was taking photos at the bird feeder when I noticed one of the recent young Blue Tits showing up was looking very peculiar. A very sorry looking fellow with a bald head and face. Poor little thing, I know my baldness is very hereditary but this bird of course looked very different to all the other young that appear at the moment and different than it should …….
Many of you may have seen it before and there are a few causes but the main reason for the affliction is mites or other parasites from the nest. Other reasons it could possibly be is hassle from siblings in the nest by being low in the pecking order or some stress related thing. I had one here last year with a similar problem and his feathers grew back to 100% before too long. This one was eating and flying around as happy as any blue tit so I am sure all will be well here in the end.
Oh and yes.. the bird feeder did need a clean as you can see, and was done promptly, we had just had the morning visit from the flock of goldfinches and they left a right mess. To prevent other common illnesses and infections for birds it is really important to keep bird feeders clean and clear up the skins from the sunflower seeds etc as they can start to produce harmful toxins or get contaminated with viruses.