The Crest Quest
A couple of years ago I was in the Outer Hebrides, observing and photographing Scotland’s wonderful birdlife. On the last day with minutes to go before I had to head back to the airstrip, I noticed some tiny birds darting between the Conifers. I inched closer and stood still observing these small birds for a few minutes. They were rapid, moving quickly between the dense trees, never really standing still. I grabbed my camera, but catching one of the birds in focus was tricky. To add to the challenge the light was poor. The only image I got was one of an absolutely tiny juvenile bird - see below:
A juvenile Goldcrest photographed on North Uist, Hebrides, Scotland - the juveniles lack the golden crest which gives this tiny bird its name
This is Europe’s smallest bird at 8-9cm long and weighing in at a miniscule 5 grams! It is the Goldcrest. Aptly named as the adults have a beautiful yellow / orange head stripe. It is a widespread resident in the UK and in winter it is joined by migrants from Scandinavia. Although widespread, it is a bird which can be hard to observe as it is so tiny and highly active, and also often deep in bushes or high up in Conifer trees.
With the image above, I had manage to photograph this little bird, but … it was only a juvenile without the golden crest which gives the bird its name. As I headed to the airstrip, I made a mental note of having a go at photographing these tiny creatures again.
Earlier this month, in Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England, during the week of freezing weather, I decided to take up my self-imposed Goldcrest quest. The days were cold with the temperature struggling to move above zero, but the weather was otherwise calm. The sun and the frost made the Dartmoor scenery gloriously beautiful.
I had identified two separate locations where I had (or at least thought I had) seen Goldcrests on my walks. As they can be hard to recognise at a distance, this was based on the size of the birds, their relentless activity and the high-pitched song. Equipped with my Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3 PF lens, a portable tripod stool and many layers of clothing I trekked to the first location – a wonderfully charming Hawthorn tree up on the moor. I placed myself in the shade under a bush with the long lens on the monopod … and waited.
Day 1 of the Goldcrest Quest: All I saw was a Robin :-(
The first day yielded no birds. Not a sniff of the Goldcrest after almost three hours sitting frozen to the stool. Undeterred, I headed back up the next day to the same location. After 90 minutes or so, sure enough, a small bird appeared and started jumping between the branches. It hung around for less than 30 seconds before it flew off to the next bush. I fired off a few shots as I tried to track the darting bird on its hunt for small insects to eat. Mostly this means it has its head turned in towards the branches as it tries to feed. Obtaining a clear shot which illuminated the crest and made the bird stand out was tricky. Not helped by operating the camera in freezing cold. My fingers were pretty frozen even through my gloves. And, that was it … after another hour I gave up. One 30-second appearance was all I got.
Day 2: Finally a Goldcrest made a 30 second appearance
Day 3: Arguably a better image … but it would have been great if it had looked towards me!
I repeated the exercise for the third day. Same location and a similar result. A fleeting visit by a Goldcrest in the space of a 2-3 hour wait. The last of the three days at this location resulted in the best image so far, with the Goldcrest framed by the branches and the dark background.
On Day 4 I saw no Goldcrests. Day 5 was a success!
The following two days I hiked to a different location, and again I sat in the freezing cold by a gnarly Hawthorn for a couple of hours. This time at least I had the sun on my back, making the experience marginally cosier! On Day 4 of my quest I had no luck with no sighting of the little birds. I tried again the next day, and this time a Goldcrest obliged and spent a minute or so flitting around the tree.
Day 5: A classic Goldcrest pose - upside-down looking for insects
Day 5: A fast shutter speed helped to freeze the action (800mm at f/6.3, 1/2500s, ISO 900)
Satisfied that I had secured a couple of good Goldcrest images I declared the quest over and headed off to a field in search of Fieldfare. The late afternoon sun was low and the light was wonderful. The waterlogged field was frozen. As I patiently tried to manoeuvre into position for Fieldfare shots, I noticed movement in the grass. I assumed it would be a mouse or a vole, but to my surprise it was a Goldcrest. It was literally sliding on the ice for a few seconds before it quickly disappeared behind a bush. This was an end-of-day bonus treat before my fingers totally froze to bits. The Fieldfare can wait for another day … 😊
Day 5: Skating on thin ice!