A goldfinch perching on the old rhus tree

I've been noticing the bird feeders have been emptying rather more quickly recently, and wondered what had changed. I know that there are many young birds, especially blue and great tits, and watched their parents feeding them in the garden trees before they could use the feeders themselves.

Then I saw a great spotted woodpecker on both the suet and the sunflower feeders, eating for a minutes at a time. It is perfectly attuned as it can easily hang on the wire cages as well as having a long beak that can reach the smallest specks of food. When I saw it this morning I decided I must photograph it yet again. 

It took a while for it to return and I became rather side tracked but eventually it flew into the ash tree and took up perches on several smaller trees watching me. I didn’t get a good picture of it but enjoyed hanging about. Some of the little baby tits will now come to the feeders and even if I’m standing within about three feet they will look at me and peck away. Adult tits normally fly onto the feeder, quickly grab a seed or pellet and fly away to safety, but I think the young ones have a lot to learn. I’m afraid to say that our recently arrived four year old cat is a good hunter and has already brought in tits, as well as shrews, rats and a squirrel.

Several bullfinches happily fed themselves as did a pair of nuthatches. The long-tailed tits are less visible at the moment so perhaps they are still rearing their young on the nests.

This goldfinch flew down from the ash tree at the bottom of the garden towards the sunflower feeder. I’m sure it saw me and alighted about five yards short on the top of the old dead rhus tree. It was very dark in the middle of the morning between regular bouts of light rain. It looked at me several times and then away before flying up into the pussy willow tree. I moved away fairly swiftly so it could return to the feeder.

I think this may be a first year adult as it is in very good condition, but too large for it to be a juvenile.