Keith Clark of Oxford Ornithological Society says you may now be lucky enough to spot some of this country's most handsome birds

As the golden days of autumn give way to the stark days of winter, we can often feel that our hedgerows become silent and bird life consists of little more than roving groups of blue and great tits. However, it is within these noisy and relentless flocks that we can discover one or – very, very rarely – two of the little gems of British birds.

The goldcrest is generally recognised to be the smallest bird in Europe at only 8.5-9.5cm, while its cousin the firecrest is only slightly larger at 9-10cm, neither weighing more than a 5p piece.

Amazingly, both are migratory and late autumn sees influxes of both with thousands of goldcrests, and just a sprinkling of firecrests, making (for them) the incredible journey across the North Sea, adding to our native populations.

Both are strikingly handsome, the goldcrest being a little plainer with its beady black eye and crown stripe bordering the crest that gives it its name, while the firecrest has the addition of a bold white stripe above the eye, under the black crown stripe and fiery crest.

Not surprisingly, both can suffer badly in the winter trying to keep up energy levels by eating enough tiny spiders and mites to sustain them through the long winter nights.

This struggle to survive can result in mortality rates of up to 80% but is compensated by both birds laying clutches of 10 or more eggs during the breeding season to replace the lost populations.

Their constant pursuit of food gives us great opportunities to obtain excellent views of goldcrests and perhaps find its rarer relation as the flocks of tits they join are very vocal.

These usually contain blue, great, longtailed and often marsh tits, all calling to keep contact as they rove through hedges and bushes, and it is among this cacophony of sound that you must listen carefully for the thin, high-pitched squeaking of the accompanying crests.

Beware, treecreepers can also be dragged along among this merry party and their calls are similar to the crests, but it is only our target bird that often hovers as it picks off its minute specks of life giving sustenance.

For such a small bird they can be quite bold in human presence, so you may well be able to get close views to determine which of our tiny gems you have the joy of watching.