Golden Crested Wren*

I heard the "tinkling of a fairy bell", as my old copy of The Observer's Book Of Birds puts it, as we walked around our neighbour's lake this morning. Sure enough a goldcrest was above in a Norway spruce. Its colouring is quite dull and I didn't spot a yellow or orange crest so I'm guessing it's a juvenile. These adorable little birds are, together with the similar firecrest, the UK's smallest bird.

I've been reading John Clare's description of goldcrest nests. They're hung between pine branches like hammocks and the birds use pine resin to stick the moss, lichen and cobwebs together. The hammock is secured with cobweb 'ropes'. 

*The name John Clare used and it also features in my Observer's book.