With a firecrest hotspot right on our doorstep, it was about time I visited the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens in search of them.
As we approached the gardens, I saw several jays flying over. I could hear that there were dozens of crests and long-tailed tits flitting around the trees, but it took some time to get my binos on any. When I did, I was disappointed, yet again all of them were goldcrests! I also found long-tailed tits and wrens but no firecrests.
When we got to the ponds, it was clear that there were several crests around. Once again they all turned out to be goldcrests! I was really starting to wonder if they had been misidentified. Then, I found a lone bird flitting in a holly bush. There it was. A magnificent firecrest, a new bird for me. As I watched, six or seven more appeared offering breathtaking views. Seeing the superb bird, Britain's smallest, in the incredibly magical Abbotsbury gardens was a great sight. I saw another three as I headed to the exit of the gardens, as well as a nuthatch, a treecreeper, ten or so stock doves over and later, as we drove home, a sparrowhawk over.
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