The blue tit that has taken fancy to the high life this winter

Although not loud enough to shatter the rural peace and quiet, it is certainly enough of a noise to confirm a tiny bird that has once again taken up residence in a rather unusual place.

Unlike many blue tits, which roost for the evening in the trees outside, this specimen has acquired a taste for the high life inside, and is indulged by homeowner Stanley Farr.

According to Mr Farr, 79, a retired agricultural machinery salesman, the nocturnal visitor “never misses” an evening and swoops in as dusk falls.

Mr Farr said: “He comes in at dusk without fail and then leaves again in the morning, and some days we can see him out there in the garden eating the food we put out with the other birds.” It then darts through a vent which links to the Farr’s kitchen cooker hood, where it makes itself comfortable in the tube above the kitchen cupboards.

“He just seems to be happy living in there in the warm at night,” Mr Farr added.

Mr Farr’s wife Mary, 77, said when she knows the bird is “in for the night” she won’t use the extractor, and has taken to cooking in the middle of the day to accommodate its habits.

She added: “The other night I hadn’t heard him come in and it seems silly, but I was worrying until I heard that familiar tapping and scratching in the kitchen, then I could relax.”

Chris Collett from the RSPB said the Farr’s situation was unusual, but said that the bird was likely to have taken up residence because there was a good supply of food in the area.

He added: “We encourage people to feed birds, but it is not advisable to let them inside, as they not accustomed to potential hazards such as cookers, fans and household pets.”