Coal tits are regular visitors to the garden. Here’s one with plenty to say for itself!
Tag: birds
Let Spring Begin!
There was a lot of small-bird activity in the garden yesterday. Here are two of the pictures I managed to take (through the window, I’m afraid, so not as sharp as I would have liked).
Jackdaw
Here’s a picture of a beautiful jackdaw I saw a few months ago at a motorway service station. What is it thinking?
Here’s Another One
Robin
I love to see (and hear) a robin in the garden.
This one looks rather thoughtful!
Siskin
I bought some sunflower hearts a few days ago, to see if goldfinches liked them as much as I’d heard. Within five minutes, they had attracted a siskin: a first for this garden!
I didn’t have a camera with me at that point, but I’ve managed to take this photograph of a siskin* on the nyjer seed feeder. They obviously enjoy eating that too.
I’m afraid the picture was taken through glass, so the quality isn’t of the highest, but I’m hoping for more opportunities.
*To add to some that I included in a previous post: Visitors.
Visitors
The flu seems to be receding a little. I managed a trip out to the shops and replenished my stocks of bird seed for the garden feeders. The goldfinches will be happy for a while with this nyjer seed! Here’s a picture of a goldfinch from a few days ago, when it was snowing:
I’ve also heard that goldfinches like sunflower hearts, so I thought I’d try some of that too. Within minutes, they attracted a siskin. The photos aren’t amazing, but I thought I’d include them anyway as I like the patterns on its feathers so much.
Some more from a few days ago:
Happy New Year
Finding my feet again after a fearsome flu-type virus.
Hoping for a happy and peaceful New Year – for everyone!
The Wait
Cormorant. Couldn’t see it when it was first pointed out to me. It was so still, so quiet. Just waiting…
Robin Takes a Bath
Spotted this beautiful little robin taking a bath in the local park recently. Here he goes!
Pigeon
Intelligent-looking pigeon.
What are you thinking?
Gold
I’ve seen very few goldfinches in the garden; even then, they didn’t stick around for long. Just occasionally I’d hear an unfamiliar song, then look up and notice one on a chimney stack, or catch a brief flash of red and yellow as a pair took off from their precarious perch on last year’s Rudbeckias. In fact, I’ve never seen many of them, although I remember seeing a group (or charm) feasting on some thistle seeds by the dusty road I lived on when I was a child.
Last year, I bought a packet of Nyjer (Guizotia abyssinica) seed and a special bird feeder, hoping to attract some of these attractive little birds. Nothing happened. A couple of investigative visits from long-tailed tits, but they didn’t seem to find it very inspiring. This spring, though, two goldfinches started visiting regularly, always after I left for work, of course! But this morning I managed to take a quick shot of them (through the window, so not top quality).
With luck, they will become regular visitors, and possibly even nest nearby.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/g/goldfinch/
