Goldcrest ( regulus regulus ) - Hunting among the conifer needles !!

A long held belief is that Goldcrests hitch a ride on the backs of Woodcock or Short Eared Owls to enable them to migrate across the North Sea.

An old Yorkshire name for Goldcrest is 'Woodcock Pilot'. Although this may conjure up images of the Goldcrest sat on the Woodcock's back saying "left a bit , right a bit, straight on at the lighthouse"!, in fact it refers to the belief that a large fall of Goldcrests normally precedes a large fall of Woodcock approximately two days later.

I have always loved this type of folklore so thought I would add it here,

Always struggled to get a decent shot of our smallest bird so am very happy to finally get a few !!

Please do not use my images in any way without my permission they are copyright protected !!

Please take A look in Large !! press L

Thanks to everyone that takes the time and makes the effort to comment and fave my pics its very much appreciated

Regards Clive

Done