FIRECREST, THE HIDDEN GEM

by Ian McKerchar

All photographs by Paul Wilson

Unmistakeable, this Firecrest (above) is a male with a mainly golden-orange crown patch showing restricted yellow only at the sides and rear, females have a yellow crown patch often with a hint of pale orange on the centre of the crown but never as extensive as that found on males.

Whether you like to admit it or not, everybody has a favourite bird, the one that you are particularly satisfied to see, that gives you the most pleasure to find regardless of it's rarity status and for me, that bird is undoubtedly the Firecrest, guaranteed to brighten up any day, no matter how many I've been privileged to see before (and that now runs easily into three figures) the next one will be as impressive and enjoyable as the first. Their always so bright plumage and distinctive features cheer up many a dull October day in south-west Cornwall for me when up to a dozen a day can be found and when so called 'real rarities' are hard to come by, unexpectedly finding a Firecrest never fails to raise my spirits.

Firecrest remains, quite rightly, a very sought after and much appreciated bird in Greater Manchester and with records currently only managing 2 or 3 a year (data range from 1992-2006) it is particularly scarce. Occasionally birds do linger for lengthy periods in the county and there is a small group of very fortunate county birders who have even added this little cracker to their garden lists, you know who you are! ☺

Firecrests often give away their presence by their call but it's similarity to that of Goldcrest can be confusing. Personally, I find the call of Firecrest to be one of those real 'you know it when you hear it' calls, instantly different from that of Goldcrest, lower pitched, slightly slower and more grating, often (perhaps only from migrant birds in Autumn?) they also include a call which I transcribed in my notes from a particular individual in south-west Cornwall in 2007 as a 'distinctive short, piping 'peep', given constantly for fairly long periods'.

The song of Firecrest, very rarely heard on the county, lacks the obvious cyclic character of Goldcrest but similarly consists of the same fine, high-pitched note repeated several times, it begins with a slight rise in pitch then flattens in tone and ends with a brief, still rather flat, trill.

Such a tiny bird, adorned with such distinctive and eye-catching features make it not only unmistakeable but visually stunning! Take a few seconds to really study the above bird's facial pattern, the grey ear coverts contrasting against the bright orangey/yellow sides of the neck, the little white cresent under the eye, the slightly golden-yellow tinge to the fore-supercilium and the short and slender black moustachial stripe, not to mention the striking broad white supercilium and black sides of the crown with the yellow/orange crown patch.

The following county records are particularly significant or interesting:

1975: A bird at Chorlton in February was the first county record.

1978: A male found dying at Withington in early April was only the second county record.

1990: A pair bred in an overgrown orchard near Hollins Lane, Unsworth, near Bury.

1993: A bird was picked up exhausted in Bolton Town Centre (no date given) and released near Eagley Cricket Club.

1998: Two birds together at Seven Acres Country Park, Bolton on the 17th November was the first multiple sighting in the county.

1999: A male was in song at Piethorne Valley on 31st March.

 As the individual above demonstrates, the crown pattern can be obscured often making an attempt at sexing individuals difficult at best.

Out of the 10 Boroughs in Greater Manchester, only Salford failed to record a Firecrest within the period 1992-2006 and despite a good showing from the Rochdale and Stockport Boroughs, the western half of the county accounts for two thirds of all the records.

Firecrest, always a pleasure and a true hidden gem!

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Ian Woosey for assisting me with researching some of the Firecrest records and particularly Paul Wilson (rezMole's bird photos website) for his photographic efforts in obtaining the images used in this article and for allowing me to utilise them in the first place. Paul was infact one of those 'very fortunate group of birders' who has found a Firecrest in his garden, although Paul went one better and found two birds together of which all the above photographs were taken and then somehow (?) encouraged them to stay around for over two months!

References

Greater Manchester Annual County Bird Reports, 1974-2006

Ian McKerchar, February 2008

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