The pretty firecrest is now being seen on a regular basis in Norfolk woodlands.  The bird is more at home on the Continent but colonies are now becoming established in Norfolk.

The Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP) have been monitoring the birds and state that there may be as many as 1,000 pairs nesting in the UK.  Many of the nests are in Norfolk’s Thetford Forest – a relatively undisturbed area.

These birds are tiny and are often mistaken for the goldcrest.

It is thought that the warmer summers that we have been experiencing in the UK are particularly to the firecrests’ liking.  They move further south in the winter months to the coastal areas of the south-west of England.

(Illustration RSPB)