Goldcrest on the move.

 The tiny goldcrest is the smallest bird in the UK and therefore usually quite difficult to actually see. It feeds on insects and spiders underneath vegetation but this cheeky female has developed a taste for the peanuts in the feeders. She has also been spotted on the fat balls hanging from the branches. They flit about very quickly and we have not had them in the garden before - or have we ? See her enjoying breakfast.

Goldcrest returns

 The goldcrest is Britain's smallest bird,even smaller than the wren and weighing about one quarter of an ounce therefore making it quite difficult to spot in the garden. They tend to scurry rapidly around tree trunks and vegetation, rarely keeping still.This one certainly didn't want to pose for a photo shoot.I happened to notice a slight movement in a bush nearby while I was outside and then spotted the female goldcrest darting in and out of the shrubbery foraging for insects and spiders. The female has a yellow crest on the head while the male has a distinctive bright orange crest. Both have double whitish wing bars making them appear like miniature chaffinches. They do seem to thrive in coniferous woodland and their numbers are always severely reduced by a severe winter so let's hope they find enough to eat in the garden. Will keep a lookout for the male of the species.