Wonderful goldfinches

I have been catching up with stuff at my desk this morning, knowing I have to go out later for a few appointments. I heard the sound of small birds twittering and stood up to see what was going on outside my window, and saw a gaggle of various bird species all trying to get on the bird feeders at once. I picked up my camera from my desk and opened the window slowly, but they instantly flew off at thew slightest of sounds.

So I went downstairs and opened the patio doors to let me sneak up on them if they came back. I then went out to the cabin onto which we have recently attached bird feeders so that we can see them more clearly than the feeders hanging under the still leaf clad trees. I thought that they might have been empty but that wasn't the case so I returned to the house. I spotted several large bees very much enjoying feeding on the cosmos flowers which are still blooming gaily. It was then that I noticed that the temperature was much warmer than the last few days as well as being drier and brighter generally. It made me feel better as the recent cool conditions and the fading of the light has made me rather melancholy about the approach of the next season, which are not my favourites.

Back at my desk with the window open, I heard the twittering of goldfinches who are some of my very favourite small birds. They have been rather absent during the summer months, but I've started to notice their presence again aurally if not visually very often. When I then looked out of my window, slowly this time, I saw a few of them on the roof of the cabin. they then flew off together for a circuit of the garden before returning towards the house and landing on the wires near to my window. Three goldfinches sat there preening and looking while constantly adjusting their feet on the wires.

The red headed adult flew off leaving two juveniles on the wire. Then one of them flew down a couple of feet onto the rowan tree and started to feed off the very topmost leaves. I got the shots I was hoping for. This is one of them. The backdrop is the view across the rear gardens of our neighbours looking south-west towards the bottom of the Golden Valley and Butterow on the far hillside.


There is a 30 second recording of a charm of goldfinches chattering here on the RSPB site.
Click on the 'Audio' link