On Friday a chap brought in an exhausted Goldcrest. He had been on the 44 bus and the driver had stopped because he saw the bird in the road in front of him. The passenger got off and picked up the little ball of fluff and then got off at the next stop and brought it into us.
He was clearly in a poor way and being a tiny insectivore I did not think that there was much I could do for him so as he perked up a little I took him down to the insect rich herb bed in the Wildlife Garden where I pointed him at a few spiders which he hastily devoured and left him to attempt to forage for himself..
To be honest I do not fancy his chances but at least if he can get some grub inside him and boost his energy levels he may make it through. Although he was not ringed, I suspect that he was a migrant - be it from somewhere else in the UK or from somewhere else in Northern Europe across the North Sea. I found two lively Goldcrests in the car park that morning which were the first of the season and coupled with all the Willow Warblers, Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher etc that we have also seen - then perhaps he was part of that same influx.
He weighed less than a £2 coin...
26-8-17