Goldcrest

When our kids were little they used to call goldcrests 'squeaky wheels' because their thin, repetitious, high pitched notes sounded like the squeaky wheel of the push-chair.

It will be about three months before goldcrests start singing and at this time of year, because they are quiet most of the time, and because they are so small, these little birds are easily overlooked.

They spend most of their time in conifers but this one was flitting around in a gorse bush, probably on the lookout for spiders - which must be hard to find in January. Sometimes these can be very approachable - this individual came within a few feet of me.

It's remarkable how closely the hue of the goldcrest's yellow crest matches the colour of gorse flowers.

Essence of Goldcrest

We spotted this little goldcrest feeding in the gorse bushes today, when we were out walking in the Tyne valley near Corbridge on a bitterly cold morning. It allowed me to get quite close but turned out to be difficult to photograph because it flitted from branch to branch so fast and I was shivering in the cold. Image stabilisation systems are all very well for damping down the shivers, but they can't cope with a hyperactive goldcrest in shadow at close range. This picture isn't really sharp, though it shows the golden crest quite nicely ...

..... and this one shows the bird well lit on the only occasion when it ventured into sunlight, but the autofocus was confused by the tangle of twigs ....

...... and this one is reasonably sharp but the lighting is dull and the golden crest isn't very evident. So all things considered, the image I liked best ......

... was this one, which to me is essence of goldcrest: never still for a moment. 


Keith (of Holdingmoments) has a great quote on his web page: "Sometimes the picture doesn't have to be perfect; it's the captured moment that counts". 


I'll drink to that .....