Cute Little Fella

Yesterday a curious tomtit came to check on us while we were enjoying a short walk in the native bush at Black Gully Reserve near Tapanui, West Otago. New Zealand. The tomtit is native, tiny, and in the case of the male bird.. quite colourful. This was a treat.. we don’t often see birds in that bush.. fantails sometimes. I’ve included all four photos I took because it’s nice having bush shots, even if the bird is blurry!

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Tomtit watching me, facing me, perched on the side of a mossy tree trunk in light woodland. Black head and back, lemon coloured chest fading to white.

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Tomtit watching me, tail toward me, perched on the side of a mossy and lichen covered tree trunk in light woodland.

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Mossy lichen covered trunk and pretty green fern fronds with one brown spore frond – all in foreground and in focus. Perched on a trunk behind and blurry, the tomtit is watching me.

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Interesting blurry photo with tomtit perched on a bent trunk, tail toward me with head slightly turned, attentive to my presence. Its thin sharp and slightly upturned beak is clearly visible against the lighter bush behind. You can also see the two small white streaks they have on their black back. A broken-off deformed trunk to the right looks like it might have a cat sitting on top with its back to me – funny!

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Text and photos by Liz; Exploring Colour (2023)