I found out where the long-tailed tits sleep
I have been wearing my headphones less outside, and I am finding new noises.
Take a stroll at sunset to Edinburgh's St James Quarter; Little King Street specifically, with the food stands. There, and then, you may hear this filtering through the trees in front of a Christian bookshop:
The noise comes from several dozen long-tailed tits settling their arguments for the day before they get some sleep. Outside of breeding season they like to hang out in larger family flocks. This flock sleeps opposite stands selling arancini and artisanal coffee. I suspect these birds are Italian. They look something like this when it is dark.
Pic by Me. The black blobs are birds, not leaves.
I haven't asked the vendors at the food stalls for their thoughts but I assume they would agree. I'm too shy to ask.
By Francis C. Franklin / CC BY-SA 3.0
If you take the time, and are early enough in the day, then you can see them in their dozens bouncing and bounding in the canopy. Come late enough, in a foliage free season, and their sleepy silhouettes cover the branches like giant darts.
By TSRL, CC BY-SA 4.0
Wandering around outside is all about these surprises - hearing or seeing something new. So I'll keep the headphones off more often. If you see the birds, say hi. With the food and drink you can stay a while.