Bearded tit (Panurus biarmicus) in Somerset, September 2017.
I have spent some time in the past looking for and photographing these stunning rare birds. Minsmere in Suffolk is a great destination as is Leighton Moss in Cumbria. Normally the birds are very difficult to find but a for a few weeks in autumn they can be a little easier as large family groups join together to find grit. This is important at this time of year when they switch from eating insects to reed seeds and require the extra grit to aid digestion. These images are from the Somerset levels where for once the birds turned out to be especially happy to pose for my camera !