Goldcrest

I can't pretend this is a good picture and at first I wasn't going to use it, but I was so pleased to even get a chance to take the photo that I have decided to go ahead with it as my blip.

Very often on my walks in Lickey Woods I have become aware of a very quiet and high pitched birdsong around me. It has always been very difficult to catch sight of the culprits. Usually I get just a few glimpses of very small birds flitting among the trees and shrubs.

I have long suspected that the birds must be goldcrests, but have never been sure. Today I heard the song again, so I stood still and waited a long while and was rewarded when eventually one of the birds came quite close. It moved around so quickly it was hard to get the focus and exposure right in time for a shot. This is the best I managed - just good enough I think to confirm that it is indeed a goldcrest.