Goldcrest visiting my bird feeder

A pleasant surprise visitor to my bird feeder - a Goldcrest. Smaller than a wren, along with the firecrest, the goldcrest is our smallest bird.

I noticed the goldcrest in the branches of the buddleia and it eventually came down onto the feeding tray of my bird feeder picking up tiny bits of food that had been dropped by sparrows and tits feeding on the fat balls.

The goldcrests plumage is olive above and buff white below, with darker wings displaying two white wing bars and an orange or yellow crown stripe flanked by a black edge.

Adult males have an orange or orange-yellow crown stripe, in the female the stripe is yellow. In the photographs the head stripe appears to be orange so this goldcrest is probably a male. Looking at the video the crest looks more yellow - but maybe due to poor light and damp windows.

After clearing up all the scraps from the feeding tray, the goldcrest flew back up into the buddleia and after a few seconds surprised me by flying onto the birdfeeder and eating tiny bits from the fat balls.

Goldcrests are largely insectivores so I was surprised to see it  on the bird feeder

In winter I have observed the occasional goldcrest foraging for food in the evergreen passion flower in our back garden but never seen on the bird feeder before.

Bumblee and Goldcrest

The frogs are still active in the pond. There was a lot of bird activity in the tree three gardens up the road early this morning. It appears to be a meeting place for birds travelling in the area, including birds that pass through our garden. In just a few minutes I noticed a goldfinch, greenfinches, a great tit and a blue tit as well as a small flock of startlings.


Later in the morning I noticed a goldcrest in the tree that overhangs our back garden. This is the first time I have seen this tiny song bird in our garden (but I did get a close encounter in the local park - see earlier entry).


When the sun came out I watched a queen bumble bee investigating the holes between the bricks in a low brick wall. Probably looking for a nest site.

Longtailed tits, Gold crest and Redwing

As I walked back from taking our daughter to school I was attracted by the sounds calls of Longtailed tits up in the trees. I watched them as they flitted around, hardly staying in one place for more than a second, making them quite difficult to photograph.

I carried on and walked through Easthill Park. There was lots of bird activity today; blackbirds, thrush and numerous blue tits. I was attracted by a small bird in the bushes at the edge of the park. I followed it as it flitted from branch to branch, bush to bush. My perseverance was rewarded, it was a tiny goldcrest. The goldcrest is the UK's smallest songbird, dull green above and buff white below with a distinctive orange or yellow crown stripe. In winter it may join with flocks of tits and other woodland species. It was the presence of blue tits that first attracted my attention. I managed to take a few pictures. They are not very good as it was quite dark and the goldcrest moved very quickly.

As with many of our songbirds, the goldcrest population has declined recently. Goldcrest also suffer in very cold winters, this year being a change to the recent succession of mild winters.

They are known to take up residence in suburban parks and large gardens. Apparently large numbers of migrants arrive in the UK in the Autumn and may be found in coastal bushes, particularly on the east and south coasts.

Just before left the park I noticed a small flock of Redwings. Unfortunately they were disturbed by a car before I got a close look and they flew up into the trees.

Redwing