This post is mostly to show off these new arrivals in our garden, a pair of redpolls. We haven't seen a redpoll since our Ardnamurchan days when they used to come to the bird table very occasionally in the summer months. They're spectacular little birds, the male in particular, and the more so in the breeding season. They migrate south in winter and are more common throughout the year in Scotland than in England - though 'common' is hardly the right word.
Mrs MW noticed them when she spotted a goldfinch, which are coming to the garden more often but still haven't used the nyjer seed which was bought for them. We had only a fleeting view of the female redpoll but the male fed very happily on nyjer for some minutes. We now have to hope that they return - there's a huge bag of the seed waiting to be eaten.
We're very happy to be seeing more siskins feeding in the garden. They aren't fussy eaters, enjoying the peanuts, the grain put out for all the small birds, and the nyjer.
We're also seeing more of these meadow pipits again. They're occasionally in the garden but most of them are scurrying around feeding in the grassy field next to the house. Although they lack the spectacular colours of the redpolls and siskins they're still very pretty little birds.
The starlings are staying out of the garden, which is good because the are so greedy, perhaps because they saw what happened when the sparrowhawk caught one of their mates in it the other day. Like many of the birds, they're very busy nest-building.
In the depths of winter we had as many as five robins disputing our garden and the food riches therein. As far as we can see now we've only got one, though it may be that there's a pair - these little birds are so similar it's difficult to distinguish individuals. The food in this old ashtray, which is within feet of our kitchen table, is special robin mix, including some meal worms: he doesn't like them. The wire is there to keep an exceedingly greedy male blackbird off the seed.
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