I'm a sucker for 'flying lollipops'

LONG-TAILED TITS TAKE ME BACK TO TWITCHING IN MY YOUTH

- Stuart Winter

THE crackle and pop of distant bird calls snaps a drowsy woodland out of wintry torpor. Bare branches stripped of dignity by leaf fall and hushed into fretful silence by the ominous approach of Storm Claudia are suddenly brought to life.

Garrulous long-tailed tits are on the move with a sizzle and sputter reminiscent of pouring milk on a certain brand of breakfast cereal. Crisp. Enticing. Energising. A Proustian madeleine moment reprises memories of childhood encounters with arboreal birds cast in many shapes and hues.