European Treecreeper

The Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris, (we can dispense with the Eurasian part of its name as this is the only species of treecreeper in the UK) is often overlooked. It is not an effusive singer and it blends so well with the trees on which it creeps. Nor is it a regular visitor to garden bird feeders, preferring caterpillars and live insects that it winkles out from the fissures in rough or loose bark.

If you are still young enough to hear the high frequency song, it is a buzzy descending phrase with a flourish at the end. They are frequently seen alone, especially during the winter. The genders are alike, but the female tends to feed higher in the tree than the male. Don't ask me why.

The treecreeper clings to the trunk or branch of a tree and hops along, mouse-like, looking for likely spots to probe for invertebrates. 

Competition in Bicknor Wood is not particularly high for this feeding style, there are Eurasian Nuthatches and Greater Spotted Woodpeckers, but not in great density. Treecreepers can only climb upwards or forwards and prefer to fly down to the base of the next tree and work its way back up. 

The treecreeper does not venture very far and often spends its whole (though very short) life within a very small patch. It is likely that any seen in Bicknor Wood were hatched within the ME15 8R? postcode area. 

The RSPB and eBird have more illustrations and photos as well as sound recordings of the call and song of the treecreeper.