Lesser Redpoll

Ok, I apologise for the quality of this photograph and it is the best of a bad lot, but it was taken through a dirty window using a full optical zoom and I'm sure the wrong setting. There's the excuses over.

So whilst settling down to watch Kevin Costner mincing about with Wolves, I spotted a flock of unusual looking birds wiping out our silver birch tree. It was actually the wee lad who drew my attention to them when he said "Daddy, its snowing". It was infact snowing with the gnawed seed cases from the invasion of this flock.

I quickly realised these weren't our average garden visitor and after a quick look in the book decided they were a flock of Lesser Redpoll*. According to the RSPB they are globally threatened. If they carry on mutilating birch trees like that, I'm not surprised!

*Happy to be corrected