Room for a Little One?

Is there room for a little one? This feisty little coal tit wanted his fair share of breakfast on the feeder this morning.

Did the prepping for the Sunday roast - beef studded with garlic accompanied by horseradish - as requested by No 1 daughter and boyfriend who were coming round for a late lunch.

We left the kitchen chores to make the most of the day before rain set in, driving to the Highnam Wood RSPB Nature Reserve near Gloucester - which posed a problem as they had closed the entrance to the car park to vehicles! Parking off the road on the verge outside on the edge of a main road, with the dogs on leads we headed into the woods. The paths were incredibly muddy but we found a Hide with a couple of feeders recently topped up so ended up quietly watching quite a few small birds which we don't see at home!

I caught this Nuthatch coming in and taking food away probably to a nest.

The coal tit here is the smallest of the seven British breeding tits and is easily recognised by the white spot on it's nape. They are quite shy so are less frequent visitors to the bird tables than other tits, liking woodland where they nest in holes in the trees, banks or walls. It is usual for the male to feed the female during incubation where she sits tight defending the nest from possible enemies.

It was lovely to see new birds and fascinating to watch until it started to drizzle! Home for lunch..oh and chocolate brownies - yummy! I think I might have room for a little one!