Taken at Standlake Common, Oxon., on December 16th 2017.
(1/500th sec at f6.3. Click image for larger version. © David Hastings)

Description

L: 8.5 - 9.5 cm

The Goldcrest is the UK's smallest bird. It is greyish-green with a pale belly and a black and yellow stripe on the head, which has an orange centre in males. The Canary Islands subspecies has a black fore-crown.

Goldcrests can be found throughout the British Isles.

They breed in coniferous or mixed woodland, preferring dense stands of spruces or firs.

In autumn, large numbers of Goldcrests arrive from Scandinavia.

There are over 600000 breeding territories in the UK, and between 3 and 5 million birds spend the winter here.

Sightings

16-Mar-2024	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(1)
12-Feb-2024	:	Buckland Warren, Oxon	(2)
26-Jan-2024	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(2)
16-Jan-2024	:	Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon	(1)
15-Jan-2024	:	Buckland Warren, Oxon	(1)
16-Apr-2023	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(2)
03-Apr-2023	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(1)
01-Feb-2023	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(1)
19-Jan-2023	:	Slimbridge, Glos	(1)
15-Jan-2023	:	Buckland Warren, Oxon	(1)
01-Jan-2023	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(1)
28-Jan-2022	:	Abingdon STW, Oxon	(2)
22-Jan-2022	:	Bagley Wood, Oxon	(1)
13-Jan-2022	:	Bagley Wood, Oxon	(1)
12-Jan-2022	:	Abingdon STW, Oxon	(1)
09-Jan-2022	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(1)
02-Dec-2021	:	Bagley Wood, Oxon	(1)
14-Feb-2021	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(1)
15-Jan-2021	:	Bagley Wood, Oxon	(1)
11-Jan-2021	:	Radley Lakes, Oxon	(2)
26-Nov-2020	:	Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon	(1)
23-Nov-2020	:	Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon	(3)
16-Oct-2020	:	Holkham NNR, Norfolk	(10+)
15-Oct-2020	:	Holkham NNR, Norfolk	(20+)
14-Oct-2020	:	Holkham NNR, Norfolk	(30+)
08-Mar-2020	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(1)
05-Feb-2020	:	Holkham NNR, Norfolk
27-Jan-2020	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(1)
05-Jan-2020	:	Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon	(1)
02-Jan-2020	:	Otmoor, Oxon	(1)
22-Nov-2019	:	Abingdon, Oxon	(1)
05-Oct-2019	:	Walsey Hills, Norfolk	(1)
03-Oct-2019	:	Holkham NNR, Norfolk	(1)
28-Jun-2019	:	Dry Sandford Pit, Oxon	(2juv)
03-May-2019	:	Cnwch Wood, Powys	(2)
20-Apr-2019	:	Bagley Wood, Oxon	(2)
14-Apr-2019	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(1)
27-Jan-2019	:	Bagley Wood, Oxon	(2)
13-Jan-2019	:	Bagley Wood, Oxon	(1)
09-Jan-2019	:	Radley Lakes, Oxon	(1)
01-Jan-2019	:	Bagley Wood, Oxon	(1)
03-Nov-2018	:	Buckland Warren, Oxon	(1)
26-Jun-2018	:	Latterbarrow, Cumbria	(1)
16-Apr-2018	:	Dry Sandford Pit, Oxon	(1)
01-Apr-2018	:	Abingdon, Oxon	(1)
24-Feb-2018	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(1)
17-Feb-2018	:	Chalfont Park, Oxon	(1)
16-Feb-2018	:	University Parks, Oxford, Oxon	(1)
15-Feb-2018	:	Farmoor Reservoir, Oxon	(1)
17-Jan-2018	:	Standlake Common, Oxon	(1)