Goldcrest (Regulus regulus)

OTHER NAMES: Woodcock Pilot, Thumb bird, Golden Cutty
Latin Etymology: Regulus ("Kinglet/Prince") regulus ("Kinglet/Prince")

Adult Goldcrest (subspecies R. r. regulus) in Geddington, Northants - October 2010

Featured Subspecies: Regulus regulus regulus
Weight: 6.5g  /  Length: 8.5-9.5cm  /  Wingspan: 12.5-15.5cm

UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List - Least Concern

An attractive little bird, the goldcrest's main claim to fame is that it's the smallest bird in Europe. This brings with it some problems in photographing them - they are small, flit in and out of cover and manually focusing cameras don't like picking them up unless you have them in a clear field of view. They are however very widely spread, and numerous if you know where to look and it seems they can be found anywhere with a passable number of trees - particularly conifers. Parks with established trees are probably the best bet.

Related Species: 
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Regulidae
Genus: Regulus
Subspecies: R. r. regulus, R. r. azoricus, R. r. sanctaemariae, R. r. inermis, R. r. teneriffae, R. r. ellenthalerae, R. r. buturlini, R. r. hyrcanus, R. r. coatsi, R. r. tristis, R. r. himalayensis, R. r. sikkimensis, R. r. japonensis, R. r. yunnanensis   

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Fairly common breeding species (610,000 territories) and common Winter Visitor (3-5 million birds)

 - Most birds seen in Geddington though odd birds elsewhere..         

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Podiceps ("vent-foot") cristatus ("crested")

Adult breeding plumage Great Crested Grebe (subspecies P. c. cristatus) at Rutland Water, Rutland - July 2012

Featured Subspecies: Pociceps cristatus cristatus
Weight: 900-1500g  /  Length: 46-51cm  /  Wingspan: 59-73cm

UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

One of Britain's two "common" grebes, perhaps the Great Crested Grebe's biggest claim to fame is that the RSPB was set up in part to protect this species from over hunting (for its feathers in women's hats) and thus is in part responsible for the continued existance of a lot of other species. The great crested grebe itself is found on most large bodies of water - most lake sites I visit seem to have good numbers of them. Photographing them is perhaps easier on smaller (or at least narrower) bodies of water where you'll be closer to them, or in locations where they are nesting within view of the shore.  It is found over most of the Old World, and thus is one of the more omnipresent species in that range.

Related Species:
Order: Podicepiformes
Family: Podicipedidae
Genus: Podiceps
Subspecies: P. c. cristatus, P. c. infuscatus, P. c. australis

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Fairly common resident (5300 adults) and fairly common Winter visitor (23,000 birds)

 - Birds seen at sites including Rutland Water, Regent's Park, Brent Reservoir and Pitsford Reservoir.

JAPAN - Japanese - カンムリカイツブリ / Kanmuri kaitsuburi ("Crested Grebe")

A Winter visitor.

 - TOKYO/HOKKAIDO 2014 TRIP: A single bird on the sea at Kamakura.

Further Notes: Birdforum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)

OTHER NAMES: Wood Blue, Azure Blue
Latin Etymology: Celastrina (?) argiolus (?)

Adult Holly Blue (subspecies C. a. britanna) at Brent Reservoir, London - July 2009

Featured Subspecies: Celastrina argiolus britanna
Length: ?  /  Wingspan: 26-34mm
UK Status: Least Concern / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated

Holly Blues are the second most common species of blue butterfly in the UK. They are are small, and can be identified by their markings. Despite their name, they are found on a wider variety of plants than just holly including bramble, gorse and ivy.  Adults often feed on sap,aphid honeydew and carrion.

Related Species: 
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Lycanidae 
Genus: Celastrina
SUBSPECIES: C. a. argiolus, C. a. bieneri, C. a. britanna, C. a. hypleuca, C. a. mauretanica, C. a. iynteana, C. a. kollari, C. a. kollari, C. a.caphis, C. a. ladonides, C. a. sugurui, C. a. cinerea, C. a. echo, C. a. gozora, C. a. ladon

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident species which is seen in Summer

 - Seen in Geddington, Brent Reservoir and numerous other sites 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto 

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