If you know of a story or charity we should feature please get in touch - Lifescape is here to make a difference
Giving a whole new meaning to the term‘Light as a Feather’ hundreds of wagtails roosting cover every twig and branch to look like christmas tree lights
With most town centres currently festooned with fairy lights, you might not give this tree a second glance.
But take a closer look and you’ll realise that it’s not been decorated but is in fact alive with little birds
The long-tailed black and white bird is usually seen on its own, flitting through the sky in search of insects. Its other common trait is to stand on the ground frantically wagging its tail up and down – hence the name.
But when dusk falls, they gather in large numbers
This flock was spotted by photographer David Tipling among the decorations in Tunbridge Wells
He said: ‘At first I thought they were lights that weren’t working. People were walking underneath oblivious
‘It has been so cold recently that perhaps they find it warmer roosting in the middle of town rather than out in the countryside
In Greek mythology, wagtails were seen as a gift from Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and the wagtail was a symbol of love. In India the wagtail is a bird of divination and bears a holy caste mark. The situation in which it appears is an omen
When nature calls: wagtails gather to light up a tree before taking flight
