Tag: goldfinch

August 1st – One of the less obvious food sources for smaller birds like goldfinches are the wind-borne seeds of dandelions, ragwort, thistle and here, rosebay willowherb. Growing like buddleia in any urban setting where there’s a scrap of extractable nutrition, this prolific weed has gorgeous pink flowers and produces huge amounts of fluff, containing its seeds.

Small birds will spend ages on seedbeds picking out the tiny black seeds and gorging upon them. It’s fascinating to watch, and these are an excellent source of nutrition.

Everything has a purpose in nature.

March 26th – Another long ride, this time out to Middleton Hall, then onto the canal, up to Tamworth, then out to Alvecote, Shuttington, Seckington, Clifton and back via Hademore and Whittington. A colder, less sunny day, it was still lovely to be out.

Sometimes, the animals you see make a ride, and so it was here. The Alpacas at Canwell were a delight, as was the feeding station at Middleton. The woodpecker at Tamworth was a lovely spot, too. All around, nature was busy and animals were enjoying the air.

One thing puzzled me though. At the bridge in Footherley, someone had spread seed on the bridge wall, clearly to feed this beautiful pheasant, which doesn’t seem like a normal bird to me: it shimmered and was almost bronze on the back, and his blues were the loveliest colour. 

I wonder if he’s a domestic escapee someone’s trying to recapture?

January 2nd – The weather was sunny and bright, but cold; the paperwork wasn’t finished and I was still unwell, but that feeding station at Middleton beckoned, so I went for it with a good pal.

We weren’t disappointed – these photos show a variety of great birds that constantly zip in and out, and also a bit of a rarity: a water rail. Not uncommon birds in themselves, but infrequently witnessed as they’re particularly secretive. 

A billet moorhen-ish, slate grey/blue, with a long red beak it was picking in the mud under the feeders. That’s quite a spot, so it made me feel blessed to be out.

Not all photos mine, but taken in the same visit. If you haven’t been to Middleton Hall and RSPB Middleton, get over there – it’s great.