A charm of goldfinches landing in the ash tree

It was a quiet day in the market, but I still felt tired when I got home late in the afternoon. I stepped into the garden and heard the beautiful sound of birds twittering, which I know to be the singing of a charm of goldfinches. They often gather in a large flock or charm, singing in the treetops. Then for no apparent reason they ascend and fly off together around the valley, invariably returning within a minute to similar perches in adjacent trees.

Once I’d fetched my camera they’d flown to the ash tree at the bottom of the garden. I later counted about sixty birds in the branches. I tried to catch them when they next took flight but the low evening light made it difficult. I’ve added this picture because it does at least show their spreadeagled wings and a hint of their colours. 

I’ve added the extras with one image showing them resting in a group, another in flight crossing the rising moon. A little later one of the goldfinches came to rest in the tree just behind the house, but I can't gewt the image to upload at the moment.