The Hummingcrest

Sorry to bombard, but I had to share this joyous little encounter I had at the front door as twilight approached. I had just been doing some very low grade bicycle maintenance and getting more oil on myself than the chain as usual, when I heard some quiet bird song and looked up into the silver birch tree above.

A little goldcrest probably the weigh of a boiled sweet was making its way among the birch twigs, singing its persistent little trilly "seeeep-seeeeep" song as it did so.

The goldcrest was so small, it could rest on branches thinner than a matchstick as it snacked off tiny insects among the buds. The most notable thing was its flight, it must be the nearest bird we have in the UK to a hummingbird. It was actually seemingly hovering, and flying backwards at times.

Goldcrests are incredibly unafraid. Only the robin of wild birds will allow a human to come closer, and this is how I was able to watch the bird for over twenty minutes as it worked a few feet above my head.

Hence, I was able to grab a few little pictures as it flitted about above me.

Si

The Goldcrest in the Undergrowth

Today's run took me round the "Tour of the Two Lakes" route, and then along Clay Lane (where as I often do, I caught a brief flash of a Bullfinch white rump flying away from me, can't blame it!) and across through the Beacon Hill Reserve.

The birds are busy today. Great tits, blue tits, and chaffinches are about in large numbers, and lower down there are wrens, robins and dunnocks. There are nests to be built, strength to build up after winter, and female birds to court. The annual squabble fest under my eaves has begun, as the house sparrows have begun to nest in what to them must seem like luxury penthouses.

The most interesting spot I came across today was in the bushes low down along the cycle path next to London Road lake. A very small little olive green bird flitting about, possibly actually a pair of them. I was never in a position to spot the giveaway mohican stripe, but I'm pretty sure they were goldcrests.

The goldcrest is our smallest bird, tinier even than the wren, a dumpy little feathery ping pong ball with a golden stripe on its head that gives it its name, otherwise they are a rather subtle little bird. They are common all year round, but little seen due to their size and discretion I guess! I've only ever seen them before in my folk's silver birch tree, picking off tiny insects from the around the leaf buds.

Keep an eye out, they will come to feeders. The stripe on the head is the giveaway!