Anyone who follows me on Instagram will know that I have been bemoaning the lack of light in many of my recent posts. There seems to have been very few days over the past few weeks where it hasn’t been incredibly overcast and often quite dark throughout the day. If you follow me, you may also be aware that my nemesis is the long-tailed tit – a gorgeous little bird that rarely settles for longer than a second. I adore them. However, speedy long-tailed tits + no light = a bit of a photography nightmare.
So, you can imagine my delight when I captured the image above yesterday, along with a few more below, in the local park where I take my daily walks. This was not just a happy accident. I had noticed that a flock of long-tailed tits were appearing in the park at roughly the same time every day. On my daily walks, I had made a mental note of the trees they were spending the most time in. Doing this bit of knowledge-gathering on grey days finally paid off when the sun finally made an appearance yesterday! I went to the right spot at the right time and it did not take long for the birds to appear. Then it was just a case of staying in the right position and being ready for when the birds arrived in the trees next to me. Great autumnal light + stunning little nemesis birds + photos of said birds = a delighted Rhiannon.
Long-tailed tits will pick insects and invertebrates from tree branches and other vegetation. In winter they will also eat seeds if food is scarce and, because of their tiny beaks, they adore suet-based feed – so keep an eye out for flocks of them at your garden feeders.
