Goldfinch!

jaelen · #1 (**permalink**) 16-10-2011, 08:52 AM

I guess this should probably go in Bird of the Day, but I'm so excited!

We had a goldfinch on our birdfeeder this morning- the first I have ever seen in London.

I even managed to get two (very poor) photos just to prove to my boyfriend I'd not been hallucinating - crawled up to the window, praying "Oh PLEASE stay there just for 5 seconds!" and it did.

Then the batteries went dead.

(I'm so poor on finch identification that I thought it was a bullfinch- fortunately we did a google, so we found out which finch it was.)

I thought at first the second bird on the feeder was a sparrow, but it's a female, isn't it?

So maybe TWO finches in the garden!

Then, the parakeet suddenly appeared while I was typing this- so I grabbed BF's fancy, state-of the art camera, (which I'm not supposed to touch

) and I managed to get a few snaps of the parakeet, AND a bluetit that flitted into the tree nearby. No idea how to focus this thing- I just pointed and hoped for the best... and even managed to upload them onto the PC, (not TOO bad, all things considered!)

So I'm quite pleased with this morning's bird-spotting efforts... I can go to Tescos happy now.

diggleken · #2 (**permalink**) 16-10-2011, 10:00 AM

Hi j,
its so refreshing to have such enthusiasm!

Well spotted, Goldfinch are such lovely birds - the others in your pics are a House Sparrow male in winter plumage, note the dark bib, not as pronounced as in full summer look at me feathers and also a starling with the parakeet.
Good stuff.
Cheers
Ken

Pete Collins · #3 (**permalink**) 16-10-2011, 10:49 AM

Well done, jaelen! Goldfinches are wonderful, aren't they. We started to get them in the garden just a few years ago, now we have 5-7 visiting the niger feeders frequently every day and yesterday we had 12 goldfinches.

I'm jealous of your parakeet, we certainly don't get those round our way!

tigertom · #4 (**permalink**) 16-10-2011, 11:29 AM

Hi Jaelen pics not to bad, love the parakeet none up this way that I know of and nice for you to get goldfinch on your feeders most likely see odd one or to more now, would surgest if you have space for one put another feeder up with a mix of nyjer seed and sunflower hearts and you will have Goldy's coming every day and there a chance that they will bring in odd siskins or even red poll with them later on in the winter

MIKE