Of Tits And Bumbarrels

I made my Christmas puddings this morning, I was busy looking after Mother on Stir Up Sunday. No matter as the Josceline Dimbleby recipe I have adapted, from over thirty years ago, doesn't need much maturation. It has no added sugar and is made with breadcrumbs. It's a pudding for Christmas pudding haters. :)

I didn't get out with the camera until the golden hour. The evening light is catching this long-tailed tit in a hazel bush nicely. These pretty little birds, that weigh less than a £1 coin, are no longer classed as tits. They move around in family flocks of twenty or so eating insects and huddle together for warmth at night.

I knew that they are known as bumbarrels but couldn't work out why. I have just read that other names for them are bottle tit and barrel tit because of the shape of their nests. These are fantastic elastic structures made of moss, hairs, lichen and gossamer, lined with around 2000 feathers. Cosy!