Regulus Regulus

A visit to see Dad this morning and a trip to the Supermarket in preparation for the weekend allowed me time for a wildlife safari in local woodland this afternoon.  The light wasn't great but the was lots of activity.  I particularly wanted to try to find and photograph a Goldcrest that I had seen briefly before.

The trouble with photographing Goldcrests is that you absolutely need that golden crest to be showing in the resulting shot.  So I needed a lot of patience to get just a few shots of the bird with its defining crest in evidence. Europe's smallest bird doesn't seem to ever sit still, it seems to be perpetually in motion as it looks for little insects and spiders to eat.  The good thing is that it isn't that shy, so I did get a shot eventually.

I'd managed to get reasonably close a couple of times only to be interrupted by local dog walkers.  The second lady even stopped to ask me if I was photographing something interesting .... I replied that it was a gold crest and she was non-plussed and carried on with her walk  :-)

While I was doing this, other birdlife clustered round to gently poke fun at me.  Six of the local buzzards seemed to be holding an airshow over the neighbouring fields, a pair of Jays made a nuisance of themselves in the treetops where I couldn't get a clear view of them, and to add insult to injury a blackcap couple flitted in and out of some ivy.  I eventually gave in to the pressure and took a shot of the Dunnock while I was waiting for the Goldcrest to show itself again.

Lest you worry, I should add that I enjoyed every minute of my little safari in search of Goldcrests.  There is something incredibly rewarding about keeping still and letting the wildlife come to you, and (if it happens) eventually getting the shot that you wanted.