Siskins

After being absent from the garden through most of the winter the siskins are back and they're an absolute joy to watch particularly as they are now in their full mating finery - the bright male and....

....the dowdier female. They tend to come to the feeders in pairs, and one pair recently took on....

....the new feeder which, so far, hasn't been much of a success as only the coal tits have found their way in to it.

The female siskin found her way in almost immediately. She didn't go through the rather-too-well-concealed entrance but simply by pushing herself through the mesh. I think the male must be marginally larger as he couldn't get in, much to his frustration and fury.

There's no doubt about what they're after - the sunflower hearts. As if to rub in her success the female brought one out and flaunted it in front of the male.

Sadly, this food won't be on the menu much longer as sunflower products are going to become increasingly scarce and expensive. Hopefully, the siskins will then go back to the nyjer.