The Firecrest has got to be one of my favourite birds. It's tiny, with a striking appearance and a bold white eye stripe that looks too big for its head and a most amazing coloured back made up of greens and yellows, all blended to make a rich olive. My desciption doesn't really do it justice. It is always very busy, moving around while feeding on tiny insects in bushes and trees. The bird I saw today was feeding in a Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii) which are now well past flowering but clearly still holding lots of small insects. On two occasions it also flew out of the bush to catch insects, flycatcher style. A true jewel of the autumn passage of migrant birds and one to brighten up a rather grey day.
1 comment:
Good find Mark. I have attached a map showing records on the database for this species (lime = Pre 2000, Green >= 2000, centred black = 2009). The only other record so far for 2009 in the area was a singing male at Overton on 22-Mar-09.
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