Tuesday, 18 January 2011

Scarce Firecrest seen in Cheshire..............by me

Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus)
Firecrest
Goldcrest
Firecrest
While capturing the Treecreeper images a couple of weeks ago I also saw Goldcrests (Regulus regulus) our smallest bird in the UK at just 9cm.
I attempted to get a presentable image of this lovely little bird but because they are so small the cameras AF just kept focusing on the leaves of the holly bushes rather than my intended subjects.
One particular bird though caught my attention with his crown being a different shade than the others I had been watching.... was it a Firecrest? ....a rarity in my part of the world and a life bird for me.
I uploaded my poor record shots onto Birdforum for identification and it has been confirmed as a Firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus) by people with a lot more knowledge than me. I have even been asked to send my sighting into the county recorder as they are scarce in the north of England.
I have added a couple of drawings of these beautiful birds (not mine) so you can compare them side by side.

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23 comments:

  1. firebrace18 January 2011 at 19:33

    well spotted and well recorded andrew. i know exactly what you mean about the af hunting, on really severe occasions my lens is more like a trombone going in and out as it focuses on anythingthing but the intended subject!
    your local patch just gets better n better.
    regards,paul.

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  2. Unknown18 January 2011 at 21:21

    I'm glad you caught such rare birds. They sure are attractive fellows. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  3. Adam Tilt18 January 2011 at 21:27

    Brilliant find. I have never seen a Firecrest as they are equally rare here in South Wales. There are a few spots they tend to favor but so far this year none have been seen. I think the last two cold winters have probably not been good for population numbers.

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  4. wilber!!18 January 2011 at 21:56

    Thank You for the visit! You're photos are awesome!

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  5. Sondra18 January 2011 at 22:57

    Congratulations on that rare find--what an honor!!!

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  6. floweringmama18 January 2011 at 23:20

    Amazing! I know the excitement of catching such a find. I remember catching some woodpeckers in my yard and couldn't hold my camera still long enough to get a good shot.

    Congrats on the capture.

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  7. grammie g19 January 2011 at 00:20

    Hi Andrew...Good for you..that's great!!
    That's exciting...I'm glad that's up to experts to decide....I'd think I was imagining what I saw ...good that you got enough of a photo for identification!!

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  8. Becky19 January 2011 at 00:23

    It must have been exciting to find such a rare bird, and yet to get pictures of it. Bravo!
    B.

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  9. Hilke Breder19 January 2011 at 01:06

    Congrats on your rare bird sighting and getting a photo too for documentation. I know how frustrating it is to get your spot focus on a small bird against a busy background!

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  10. Arija19 January 2011 at 03:02

    The goldcrest looks so robin-like. Such pretty little birds and hats of to you for spotting the firecrest!

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  11. Sallie (FullTime-Life)19 January 2011 at 03:47

    Congratulations! You are truly a BIRDER! Thank you for sharing your talent with those of us who just dabble. (I don't really even try to get pictures of the small perching birds -- I'm just happy if I see them and happier still if I can name them.) Your rare bird is beautiful -- I don't think we have that one here.

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  12. holdingmoments19 January 2011 at 04:32

    Well done with the Firecrest Andrew.
    I know just how happy you're feeling; I found one at my local a few weeks ago. Lovely little birds.

    I sympathise with the focus problem too. So frustrating when the lens plays about like that.

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  13. Small City Scenes19 January 2011 at 14:26

    What a cute little guy. I am glad you captured what you did. Good job.
    My camera does the same. LOL MB

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  14. Springman19 January 2011 at 17:23

    Fantastic moment and congratulations on getting a good reference shot to confirm its idenity. "Firecrest" is the perfect name for this phenominal bird. Bravo! ;-)WBW

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  15. Dave19 January 2011 at 18:46

    Congratulations on the great bird!
    It's always good to get a lifer.

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  16. mick19 January 2011 at 18:57

    It's great to see a rare bird but fantastic to get photos of it. Great photos!

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  17. Empty Nester19 January 2011 at 19:18

    What beautiful colors! Nice photos!

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  18. jeanlivingsimple20 January 2011 at 01:50

    What a pretty bird. Congrats on the sighting and capture!!!

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  19. Unknown20 January 2011 at 04:34

    Congrats on being the one to report this little Beauty!
    And yeah, don't you love it when your auto focus doesn't cooperate and when you've finally fine tuned the 'wheel' yourself, the bird takes off....
    At least you got the proof for the Firecrest :D

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  20. Unknown20 January 2011 at 21:53

    I think these birds are new to me. 9 cms is pretty small, how cute. Speaking of small birds, first time I saw a hummingbird flying I thought it was a big bee... :-)))

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  21. FAB21 January 2011 at 21:16

    Nice find Andrew ... well done.

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  22. NatureFootstep21 January 2011 at 21:40

    we have it too. It is said it is rather common but rarely seen. I have only seen it once. Like you I did not get a good shot. It was too fast for me.

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  23. frank.missy30 January 2011 at 11:12

    Hi, unbelievable, I saw a firecrest having a wash in my back garden in Derby yesterday. At first I thought it was a wren, but the bright flash of red and yellow on the head was striking. we are suburban but surrounded by lots of woodland and conifers etc..... was it passinig through, or do they have a spot to live in....cheers Ray

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