Park Life 8: Tinsley Park Hill

... or at the risk of being obvious, A Bird in the Hand.
Not a very well known open space in the city - in fact a hidden gem with lots of heathland habitat. Great in summer for wildflowers, butterflies and dragonflies. Today, however, there was a bird ringing demo by Sorby Breck Bird Ringing Group, so I was up before dawn on a crisp, clear morning for this event. It was well worth it to see these wonderful birds close up. I even got to hold and release a blue tit. This was the second woodpecker out of the bag - the first being a rather cantankerous female who pecked the ringer's hand to shred.
The birds were ringed, weighed and, as seen here, measured.
More images here, here, and here