Coal Tit

Periparus ater

Hopped on the bough, then, darting low,
Prints his small impress on the snow,
Shows feats of his gymnastic play,
Head downward, clinging to the spray.

from The Titmouse by Ralph Waldo Emerson

It has taken me a wee while to get a photo of one of these little birds that I am happy with as they rush about so quickly, even quicker than Blue Tits as they are smaller and operate by dashing quickly to the feeder, snatching a seed and rushing off before any of the larger birds chase them away. Whenever they get a bit of quality time at the feeder they sift though seeds, throwing on the ground any they don't want until they find the perfect seed which they then fly off with. They stash food too in crevices although often forget where they put it.


(I have been signed off work for two more days-doing anything strenous like walking about a bit or lifting something up is EXHAUSTING. It is quite bizarre.)

300mm f8