Flushed out by autumn

AS the leaves fall from the trees there are certain birds that are much easier to see.

Roosting wagtails, mixed flocks of tits and thrushes all have easier sightings at this time of year. Woodpeckers can be spotted when all the leaves are gone.

Something much smaller, but with similarities, is the treecreeper.

It is the only member of their family to be found in the British isles. At a stretch you could say they are most like a wren, but not once you know the difference.

They have been called a “tree mouse”. Like a wood mouse, they have brown backs and bright white bellies... and they scuttle up tree trunks.

The similarities end there though. They have longer, more down curved beaks than a wren, and much more mottled backs to blend into bark. You can’t really see their white bellies when they are pressed close to the tree.

They were also once called “little woodpeckers”. Like a woodpecker they have sharp claws to help climb and stiff tail feathers for extra support. That skinny beak is no good for pecking though. Until the 19th century they were simply called “creepers”.

A resident of much of Europe and Asia all the way to Japan, each area has their own sub-species. In the UK we have our own, and you can spot them in most woodlands, parks and some gardens.

They are insectivores and run up trees probing their skinny beaks into the bark to eat spiders and insects. Once they have inspected a tree, they fly to the base of the next one and head up – never down.

Pairs will also forage on different parts of the tree, with the ladies taking the top half and the males the bottom.

Although their young are commonly eaten by great-spotted woodpeckers, weasels and squirrels, the adult birds only have a harsh winter to fear. Frozen trees don’t keep many bugs.