The treecreeper is one of our smallest and lightest birds, weighing a mere 10g – barely heavier than a £1 coin. Despite its tiny size, it manages to live here all year round; although it does struggle to survive during cold winters, especially when a freeze occurs after a spell of wet weather.
That’s because treecreepers feed on tiny insects, which they prise out of crevices in the branches and trunks of trees. During the infamous big freeze of 1962-63, those branches and trunks were covered with glazed frosts, a thin film of ice which prevented the treecreepers from accessing their food supplies.
