Long-tailed tits and Jays

A dull showery day was brightened momentarily by a small flock of long tailed tits. I estimated about 6, but they are very quick and erratic in the way the fly around. I was alerted to their presence by their calls as they foraged in the garden. The pictures are not very good because of the dark sky and the rain on the windows.

The jays are still very noisily feeding on the acorns

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

Long tailed tits and sparrowhawk

At about 4.00pm yesterday evening, a pair (possibly more) of long-tailed tits were foraging in the tree behind our garden. Unfortuanletly by the time I managed to get my camera they had moved into the semi-evergreen tree. I could hear them, but could not get a picture. The sun had just set and it was dusk. A few minutes later, as I walked down to the corner shop a sparrow hawk flew low overhead.