Prospect Park, Reading UK
These were all of the same bird over a period of about four minutes, hopping and flapping around like a mad thing.
All undercover on not the brightest of days, resulting in 1/800s at ISO12800, so these thumbnails are really about as good as the “full” (heavily cropped) photos.
I’ve only recently seen one of these for the first time, in Bristol. I know they’re not rare but I was still ridiculously excited.
They never stand still so these are great shots!
Yes, not rare, but I only seem to see them around this time of year when they are out hunting amongst ivy berries or, here, loose brambles - most of the time I suppose they stay well hidden in the thicker vegetation. I also have to be careful as I think there’s Firecrests around as well, and apart from a white band round the bottom of the crest, they are very similar.