Bird Feeder Watch.

[Togo]

Just had a lovely visitor to the feeder but not enough time to be positive about identification. Went to make a cuppa and glanced out, lo and behold a Greenfinch. I only had a few seconds as it was spooked by the ruddy Magpie and fled. Very rare here, and in the past we have had Siskins at the feeder so it may have been one of them. I am now on alert to see if it returns. My impression is that it was a bit big for a Siskin and darker too. Distinctly green rather than yellow and I did not have chance to see the bill, I was not aware of the yellow wing bars either so fingers crossed for Greenfinch. Early for either visitor though.

[albaqwerty]

you lucky so-and-so.
Not only knowing your birds but having them come to your bird feeder.

Younger alba said to me yesterday that a bird, about the size of a sparrow, was pecking at his window-pane.
It wasn't a sparrow as it had blue markings.

(must ask Santa for a bird book)

[Togo]

Sounds like a Blue Tit or Great Tit Alba. RSPB Pocket Guide To British Birds is a great little reference book.
Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

[Togo]

Or the Pocket Book.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RSPB-Pocket-Guide-British-Birds/dp/1408174561

[albaqwerty]

ooh, thanks for the recommendation Togo, I'm rather fond of little birds.
Crows, magpies, gulls - not so much.

[Togo]

Once you have the little book Alba you will be surprised how many you start to "see". So many people get confused about the alike species but the pocket book helps greatly. House Sparrows, Tree Sparrows and Dunnocks for instance.

[jakep]

Alba, our blue tits peck on the window too.
Togo, with friends in N Norfolk at the weekend and we saw a greenfinch on the feeders, first one for them for a couple of years.
They do have nuthatches every day......I'm not at all envious!!!!

[Togo]

Lol Jake. It is worth the effort every year to put the feeder up for the winter. My record for most species is 37 different ones over a 5 month period during the very cold 2010 winter. It was astonishing to see Nuthatches, Blue and Great Tits, Finches and Robins happily side by side with Woodpeckers. We even had a Tree Creeper that year.

[albaqwerty]

There's a flock of about 10-12 birds I see perching on a neighbour's tree, now devoid of leaves obviously, they are tiny little things.
Either I don't notice them throughout the year, or they are visitors, will have to invest in binocs to see them :-)

[andres]

Our garden is full of birds at the moment.
Pigeons eating seeds ,robin on the plantpot with his seeds, blue tits on the fatballs competing with the jackdaws.Magpies eating their dish of spaghetti,blackbirds stamping for worms. Jays divebombing onto the monkeynuts(when the squirrels haven't already eaten them ). Last month the starlings brought their young and attacked the fatballs . They have disappeared now .They each have their food preferences and all are welcome.