Monday 3 January 2011

Ever decreasing circles.................................................the Treecreeper

Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)
creeping higher..........
..........and higher
Kennel Woods
Kennel Lane
I went to walk the woodlands of my childhood in the Cheshire village of Sandiway... Kennel Woods. The woods are accessed by parking on Kennel Lane. The hounds of the Cheshire Hunt were kept at the kennels located at the end of this aptly named road and date back over 250 years. The most famous hound was called Bluecap. In 1762 Bluecap was entered into (and won) a race at Newmarket to see who owned the fastest dog (the stake was 500 guineas a massive sum). The local hostelry was renamed after him and there is a monument in his name at the kennels. My target bird to see today were the Treecreepers. I love to watch their behaviour of going from tree to tree starting at the bottom then climbing up looking for insects whilst circling the trunk. They can only climb upwards. My other highlights today.... Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker and a flock of Redwings feeding amongst the leaves.

18 comments:

Unknown said...

What an interesting bird!! Also a good essay. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River.

Hilke Breder said...

Good info about the Brown Creeper - I think it's the same bird here. I didn't know they can only creep up the tree. Next time I see one I'll pay more attention. Looks like you live a beautiful part of the world!

grammie g said...

Hi Andrew...I have that cute little creeper here to, and your photos of the little guy are great! They are hard to get a photo since they are so much the same color as the tree bark!!

Nice scenery and interesting piece of information on the Kennel Woods to!!

Mike B. @ slugyard.com said...

Nice shots of the creeper- they never stand still for very long!

mick said...

Very interesting post and great photos of the Treecreeper. That long curved beak would be good for getting things out of the tree.

Springman said...

What rich colors! I am enjoying the bark as much as the bird. Speaking of "bark" the tale of the famous dog Bluecap was most amusing. Kennel Woods sounds and looks to be a most excellent place to call your childhood home.
;-)WBW

Becky said...

Very unique little bird, and what delightful pictures you got of it.I liked your story of the woods too.
Have a great week.
Becky

Empty Nester said...

I've never seen one of these birds before. Very interesting creature. Lovely photos, great info!

Arija said...

I love the little treecreepers. Yours are a little different to ours in Australia but just as cute.

Unknown said...

Nice shots of a nice bird. I know these are hard to photograph!

Sondra said...

I have many blurry photos of the tree creepers--as they are so busy I can get a decent photo! Your shots are wonderful! Thats a great story about the fox hound...I was into fox hunting when I was younger, it was a drag hunt no fox was harmed--

NatureFootstep said...

it´s a long time since I seen one of those. Not since last spring. I like them, they are charming somehow.

tiptoethruphylsgarden.blogspot.com said...

I love to walk in the woods,thanks for taking me along!Cute little bird captured in his natural enviroment,thanks,phylliso

firebrace said...

i love these little fellas but only see `em when i go up to north yorkshire. there bill & feet are so way out of proportion to their bodies that you can`t help but like `em.havn`t seen a goldcrest but finally caught up with some waxwings last weekend, abot 60 of `em less than a mile from home. i still need more practice with the long lens, how you finding your new sigma?

theconstantwalker said...

Bloody heavy after two hours of handholding lol. I might try a hide and use a tripod and let the birds come to me next time.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, treecreepers are cool! And that forest looks very nice, too!

theconstantwalker said...

A special place...
Many thanks for all your kind comments.

Unknown said...

That is one fascinating little Critter :-D
Must be fun to watch him.
And those woods are beautiful!
Can't wait to get into a forest again one of these days :)
And interesting part of history with the hounds!