Unusual garden visitors

A couple of weeks ago I awoke to a good few inches of snow. The bird numbers in the garden consequently increased and with it I got a few birds that are good to see anywhere, but especially in a small garden in the north of Peterborough. Whilst nothing scarce or rare, seeing a female Siskin for only the second time in 5 years was a bonus and then a flock of 5 Redwing flew in, obviously looking for an easy meal. The female Brambling was also paying a visit accompanied by up to 30 Chaffinches, although there was no sign of the male.

Female Brambling

Female Brambling

Redwing

Female Siskin

The weather this week, whilst not snowing, has still been extremely wintery and consequently the bird numbers have still been pretty high. 16 Reed Buntings is a new garden record and there are still 35+ Chaffinches visiting regularly. This week though saw the return of the male Brambling, starting to show brighter plumage detail, although he is still not in breeding plumage as his head would be completely black and his bill would also be fully black. Still a beautiful bird though.

Male Brambling

Another Berry guzzler

Another bird very partial to eating fruit is the Redwing, another winter migrant from the frozen North. Song Thrush sized with a distinctive pale eye-stripe and of course, a very obvious red underwing, a cracking bird.

Redwing

Digiscoped using Lumix FS15 and Kowa TSN-883 x30

A visit to Crown Lakes in Farcet near Peterborough to try and connect with a Waxwing. None about today, however there were numerous winter thrushes including the above Redwing.


These winter thrushes come to this country in their hundreds of thousands to feed on berries (particularly hawthorn) and other fruit. When the berries become exhausted they start to eat earthworms.


Every year a handful breed in Scotland, but the huge numbers come from Scandanavia and Iceland, with the Scandanavian birds wintering in southern Britain and the Icelandic ones staying in Scotland and Ireland.


A very beautiful member of the thrush family, which is a little smaller than the Song Thrush with rusty-red flanks and underwings, hence the name Redwing.