Firecrests (1 Viewer)

I've had a Firecrest visiting my back garden on and off for the last month and also up to two Goldcrests, which are fairly uncommon visitors too. Early this morning I was pleased to see a Goldcrest again, but amazed when it was followed shortly afterwards by not one, but two Firecrests. I was watching one flitting about our apple tree when it flew to a clump of evening primroses and joined a second bird that I hadn't noticed before. For a moment I thought I was seeing double! Amazing! Maybe my little postage stamp of grass isn't so bad after all.

Jason

and I was excited by my Blackcap yesterday. Never seen Firecrest don't think they come this far north (yet). The only Goldcrest was reported to me by a neighbour after being caught by a cat. Your list on the other thread is impressive.

Nice!

Thanks, Tom. That's an interesting point you raise about Firecrest's range. We do expect to get a small number of wintering birds down here in Devon (though not in my garden!) but they do seem mainly to be a southern species. I was thinking that, up north, you'd probably get a fair few on the east coast during migration times, but on checking Rare Bird Alert's database, it seems they're pretty scarce at any time north of about Yorkshire. Either that, or they're so common that people don't bother to phone the news in!

Black Redstarts and now firecrest. You must live in a bit of a hotspot Jason. How big is your garden list? any other goodies?

Hi Steven. Actually, the list of birds I've had actually in the garden is pretty unimpressive. Only 36 species in c.10 years - and even that includes birds like hirundines passing through below roof level. Firecrest is by far the best bird I've had (curiously, I've had three or four previous records, all in winter apart from one this spring). The next best birds are the Black Redstart, Marsh Tit, Redwing, Sparrowhawk, Bullfinch, and Siskin. After that it gets really common!

The best bird didn't actually make it into the garden - and I didn't quite get to identify it either (though I've a very shrewd idea what it was). It was a wheatear on a neighbour's roof and it definitely wasn't a Northern Wheatear - far too uniform, dinky and Stonechat-like (thinner-billed too). There's a thread with a full description somewhere.

Nice one Jason.

I was looking for a Firecrest in a mobile tit flock on the canal at the weekend. No luck, just a Goldcrest and a Coal Tit for my efforts.