Robin hovering for food

I have been lazy today and managed to keep busy without formally working. Some of it was spent sitting with a camera at the back door trying to get pictures of birds in flight. At first the thick mist made it dull, but provided a bland grey backdrop. By the time the sun broke through the birds had retreated and were a bot wary as they could see I was nearby.

I used my old camera, which has a longer zoom lens but the processor and sensor are much poorer in quality, which is becoming more restricting. I do like the camera, which Helena is using more and more and it does a very good job all things considered.

I saw many different tits, blackcaps, blackbirds, bullfinches and a very timid dunnock. The magpies, pigeons, crows and a few seagulls all flew about but further away down the garden. A few goldfinches, a species I particularly like, came by in small numbers and sat in the tree eating the pussy willow. A nuthatch came to visit and surprisingly sat in the branches of a nearby tree for many minutes, but didn't approach the seeds in the feeders which it usually does. Normally it is very wary and doesn't hang about, unlike the goldfinches which are very sociable.

The birds have been singing all day, but particularly this morning and this evening. Spring is in the air. This robin cam to the branches I've put up close to the feeder and plucked up courage to try and grab some seeds. They are not suited to perching like other birds and so are not thought to visit feeders. But this pictures proves that they are learning, especially when offered easy access to food. I'm glad. I just wish the blackbirds could do the same as they are much harder to feed especially when there are so many cats around the gardens.

I've added a few more birds shots to the Flickr gallery here.