1 minute read
Goldcrests(REGULUS REGULUS)
Les McCallum
Birdwatcher Les McCallum says to look out for Goldcrests in April, as it is when the males make their nests, which are a thing of wonder.
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Britain’s smallest bird is a warbler, the tiny Goldcrest, that can be found searching for insects in conifer trees such as Spruce, Fir and Pine – a confiding bird that will continue to search for food even if you are just a few yards away - but being so small they are hard to spot and weigh just the same as a 20p coin.
The nest is a work of art, constructed by the male in late April using spiders’ webs, moss and lichens, lined with feathers and hung from a branch in a pine tree. The shape looks like a small basket with handles.
Goldcrests are yellowish- grey/green with a brightly coloured crest, orange in the male and lemon yellow in the female, both with a black border. The male raises his bright crest when courting a female or when confronting a rival male.
The call “si si” is repeated twice but of such a high frequency people of my age (78) find it very hard to hear.
Being so small, harsh winters can reduce their numbers but within a few years they make a remarkable recovery by raising two broods in the summer of about seven to ten chicks.
As youngsters in the 1950s we collected many wild birds’ eggs, but the nests of the Goldcrest were always too high and out on the furthest, flimsiest branches and impossible to reach. These days of course collecting birds’ eggs is rightly frowned on and has been illegal since 1954.
Another name for this bird is ‘Kinglet’, which may have originated from the fabled legend Who should be the King of birds? The award would go to the bird that flew the highest. The obvious winner would be the eagle as it flew higher and higher than any other bird, but just as the eagle reached the highest point a Goldcrest emerged from within the eagle’s plumage and flew just that bit higher, claiming the King’s crown.
I find the best location locally to see this resident, rather mouse-like bird with big black eyes, is among the fir trees next to the log cabin at the Wetland centre WWT Barnes.
Happy birdwatching!
