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Sunday 20 December 2015

The Goldfinch and the Alder Tree

During the mid afternoon when the winter sun was low in the sky and my walk was almost completed, I found this lone Goldfinch beside a lake. She was filling up on Alder seeds prior to roosting for the night. It was likely to be a cold night and she was making sure she had plenty of fuel onboard. Birds are warm blooded and its their main aim in life at this time to gorge themselves during the winter daylight hours in order to protect from the lower temperatures at night. Something we humans mostly take for granted, for birds its life or death.














26 comments:

  1. Oh a cracking set of images Roy. We've had a few unusual visitors to Broadsands including various divers due to the bad weather and a Yellow-browed warbler (none of which have been seen by me!).

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    1. Thanks Suzie, yes I have heard about several sightings of the YB Warbler on the South coast.

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  2. If you can't find a partridge in a pear tree.......
    The way our night-time temperatures have been recently he's got about as much right to be gorging himself as I have for eating all the mince pies!

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  3. Wonderful photos! I love both the pretty bird and the alder seeds.

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  4. Beautyful photos! Number 4 is very funny :)

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  5. He was certainly intent on getting his fill. Beautiful photos in the late afternoon sunlight.

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  6. got a messy old beak! Needs a pelican bib. The colour of the white flashes on the primaries intrigues me - the second set are pale pink, the others white.

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    1. A lot of it depends on the available light Simon and it can vary quite a lot.

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  7. Every time I manage to get a photo of a bird you post photos of it a million times better. I'm not green with envy, honest! LOVE the bokeh in these, they are dreamy. :-)

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  8. These are spectacular! Nicely done!

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  9. Hey Roy... Awesome shot's, showing just how colorful and patterned it is!


    Grace

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  10. Super set of images Roy.
    I'm lucky enough to have some of these beauties visit my feeders every day, fifty+ a few weeks ago, I never tire of seeing them (messy eaters though!)
    I guess I should try taking some photos although your images show them off, in their 'natural' habitat, much better...[;o)

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    1. Thanks Trevor.
      Like you, I never tire of seeing them.

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  11. Simply stunning set of photos Mr Norris :-)

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  12. A bird ringer told me that it is possible to sex Goldfinches in the field. The red on the male extends ever so slightly behind the eye, not so on females. Looking at your photos I would say that this bird is a female.
    Paul Taylor.

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    1. Thanks Paul, thats useful to know for future reference.
      Merry Christmas, if I don't see you before.

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  13. Quelles belles photos Roy, sur ces chatons, ce chardonneret est de toute beauté.
    Bravo

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