I was in the garden today, insulting the weeds (I hope to offend them into leaving) when I noticed someone new at the bird feeder. It was none other than the little sod who lost me a bet recently. I sneaked back into the house to get my camera. He can count himself lucky I don't have a gun.
A while ago, I had a bet with another Smoky-Drinker that the wren was the smallest British bird. He said it was the goldcrest. I had never seen a goldcrest so I stuck with the wren. I lost.
Fifty bloody years and no sign of one of these feathered gits, and just after I lose the bet, up he pops all tiny and fluffy and innocent looking, and hangs around eating my insect-filled fat balls just to rub it in.
I hope he gets mugged by a sparrow.
20 comments:
LI - that's truly fabulous. And a great reminder that we not "just smokers" - we are real human beings, and love life and nature.
*we are
What a super photo LI. They never keep still enough for me. You must have quite a few spiders and other insects around.
Next we'll be hearing you've opened your garden to twitchers. :)
Awwwwww, he's so small and sweet and fluffy looking, LI. Don't be so hard on him. He was nice enough to sit still and let him take this lovely photo of him!
You know you want to give him some bird seed.
Have a fun weekend.
You can console yourself with the thought that your photography skills are obviously top notch! ;)
You would need twenty of them to make a snack. USELESS animals.
Folopw ups..
Good picture LI little bastars like that are notoriously difficult to photograph what with ther flitting hither and thither.
Let alone going into to get the camera and expecting it to still be there, it normally results in.
"I saw a ***** in the garden today"
"Really, did you get a photo?"
"No, it was gone by the time I got the camera"
"So you didn't really see one one did you?"
"Bollocks"
Lucky you, gorgeous post.
I've got the pigeons taunting me. At least Goldcrest guano doesn't burn holes in paving stones.
It's not size that matters, it is what you do with it.
Firecrest:
9 cm (3.5 in) in length, with a wingspan of 13–16 cm (5.1–6.3 in), and weighs 4–7g (0.15–0.25 oz).
Goldcrest:
8.5–9.5 cm (3.3–3.7 in) in length, with a 13.5–15.5 cm (5.3–6.1 in) wingspan and a weight of 4.5–7.0g (0.16–0.25 oz).
Pick the (very small) bones ou of that.
Good shot though
I am amazed you test shit for a living. You are an eloquent and saleable writer, you are handy with the camera and you are a raconteur.
All I can say is testing shit must pay well!
"my insect-filled fat balls
Sorry to hear about that, Leggy, hope the treatment goes well and the swelling goes down! ;-)
When you've got over your anger at being proved wrong, consider that such a tiny bird has done well to survive your recent bouts of sub-zero global warming. You are fortunate to see one at all, let alone so close. Have you got a better quality picture, or is that the largest that blogger will accept?
Pub quiz question. However, I've never seen one either. Saw a goldfinch once. Beautiful. But Kingfishers are really dazzling!
Excellent picture LI. We get the usual sparrows, pigeons, etc but nothing this exciting.
They're still around and I'm trying for a better photo but they don't exactly 'pose'. There's no time for lining up the perfect shot with these guys.
They turned up after I put out suet-block, and it seems that's their preference.
Barking Spider - it's not so bad, but the insects itch.
William - I like testing shit. I know, it sounds odd.
Sometimes I'm asked what I plan to do in retirement. Pretty much the same as I do now - potter around a lab, write stories and mess about in the garden, earning just enough to live on and staying well clear of the high tax rate.
So either I'll never retire, or I already have. It's hard to tell.
I'm sure others have said... But Great photo LI. Better than anything I have managed.
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