The blue tit is one of the small birds that frequent the sea buckthorn and the willows, as well as being a presence in the top garden. It is as happy co-existing alongside humans, as it is in the wild. It will inhabit parks and gardens – or woodland, happy nesting in a hole in a tree – or in a nestbox. It will hunt for insects and spiders in trees, as well as snacking from bird feeders. The blue tit was famed for pecking open milk bottle tops and taking the cream off the top.
This blue tit appears to have a crest. I was puzzled. Then I found out that they will raise their crest when they are excited or alarmed. There is a crested tit, but it has a very obvious crest and is grey – also, in the UK it is only found in pine forests of Northern Scotland – so no danger of a mix-up in the watermeadow!