This is another bird which has suffered due to agricultural intensification and numbers have dropped by over 50% in the last few years. Thankfully the population seems to have now stabilised, albeit at a much lower level.
During the winter we get these little birds visiting our small garden in Peterborough, the highest number being 16 when the really cold weather was here, but come Spring they disperse to their breeding grounds. A bird that my Dad is extremely jealous of us having on our feeders!
Digiscoped using Lumix FS15 and Kowa TSN-883 x30
What a sweet bird. I'd love to see it 'dressed' in its breeding plumage. BTW, What is agricultural intensification? Will Mr. Google or Ms. Bing have the answer? I always enjoy my visits here. Though I admit the photos are so beautiful that I wish I could see your bird feeders in person.
ReplyDeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteMore very interesting information about our beautiful wildlife that I would not be so aware of, if wasn't for your articles and your superb photos. Thank you for sharing. Much appreciated.
Gary.
Hi Rebecca, it is a very special bird when dressed in its finest! Agricultural intensification is where hedgerows have been ripped up to make bigger fields, the gathering of grain is so efficient none is spilled, to name a couple of things. I am sure Messer`s Google and Bing would have more info.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for your kind comments,
J
Hi Gary, it is my pleasure to share with you my little part of Britain.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for your continued kind words,
J
I think the word for this bird is 'charming'. It must be delightful to see them in your own garden.
ReplyDeleteBazza’s Blog ‘To Discover Ice’
Ah, we do love those LBJs-particularly when we've got a master spotter like you to tell them apart and give us gorgeous photos, too. How sad to read again of the diminished population of a lovely little bird. May they continue to flock to your feeder, where we know they will have a good time and we will be able to see them in your photographs!
ReplyDeleteHi bazza, they are `delightful` birds. I am very lucky to have them in my garden, mind you, I put out just the right food for them (Red Millet, incase you are interested!
ReplyDeleteJ
You are too kind with your comments Raining Acorns, you don`t get to see all the photo`s that are out of focus! ;)
ReplyDeleteIt is good to think that this little bird has now stopped declining in numbers, hopefully it will now grow!
J
Dear John,
ReplyDeletethank you - now I learned that I know one sort of bird more: I always took them for sparrows! Now I know and am on the look out whether I find them in Berlin too.
Hi Britta, glad to have been of some help! ;) Not sure if you would see them in Berlin or not, they tend to be more countryside birds, or at the very least on the edges of towns.
ReplyDeleteJ
Great pic.
ReplyDeleteI've just bought a lumix fs15 and universal adaptor for my celestron ultima 80ed. Having trouble making them work together to get a sharp image.
Any advice on settings gratefully received.
Hi David B,
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, with the Lumix FS15 I didn`t really fiddle about with settings. I did under expose which leads to a faster shutter speed which does help in getting a better picture. Also, never zoom the camera, this leads to a sharper image which can always be cropped later on your P.C. Other than that, make sure the camera fits nice and tightly into the adapter (I didn`t bother buying one, I just used a piece of pipe from a D.I.Y. store that was the exact measurement of my camera lens). If you can alter settings, try and make Aperture priority a must and set macro to `on` and light settings to `daylight`. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the comment about the photo! ;)
J