Yesterday was one of those stunningly beautiful winter days that take your breath away. The white mountains, blue sky, deep blue lochs and white frosted trees all combined to make Highland Perthshire look like a fairy tale.
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| Treecreeper - look in middle of picture |
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| Now at bottom of wall, trying again in its search for insects |
Although they looks stunning, deeply frosty days like this are especially tough on birds. They expend a lot of energy, most small birds need to eat half their body weight every day, and when it's colder they need to eat more to stay warm, and the food is harder to get. Many birds get help from us at this time of year, but there are some species that you never see at the bird feeders. A treecreeper is one of them. They are insect eaters, and feed by slowly spiralling up a tree pecking insects out from nooks and crannies in the bark. Then they fly down and start again on another tree. This treecreeper was trying its luck on a wall today, and I don't suspect it was having much luck. They often supplement their diet with seeds from cones in winter if they can't find any insects.
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