| Gallery: Various birds |  |
Assorted garden birds.
Pictures
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A wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) - one of my garden favourites.
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Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) on a dry-stone wall. You can see the subtle beauty of this little bird's markings.
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Martin writes: 'I was cleaning the windows and saw this Woody alight on the branch, slowly I got my camera and with as much stealth as I could muster opened the top light to photograph it. I have tried to capture them on so many other sightings but none as clear as this chance as they are so timid, that the slightest movement and they are away. This time it did not fly but just looked at me so I got a few good shots I think.'
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Martin writes: 'I was cleaning the windows and saw this Woody alight on the branch, slowly I got my camera and with as much stealth as I could muster opened the top light to photograph it. I have tried to capture them on so many other sightings but none as clear as this chance as they are so timid, that the slightest movement and they are away. This time it did not fly but just looked at me so I got a few good shots I think.'
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Green woodpecker (Picus viridis) in a typical location - on a lawn. This is a female, distinguished from the male by a different head pattern.
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An atmospheric shot of a great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major). This is a male as indicated by the red nape patch.
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The starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is one species which likes a nice lawn where large flocks will sometimes search for leatherjackets (larvae of Tipula spp.) and other invertebrates.
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Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in typical pose on overhead wires.
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This shot shows very nicely the iridescence of the plumage of the starling (Sturnus vulgaris).
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The iridescent purples and greens of an adult starling's (Sturnus vulgaris) breeding plumage are evident in the sunshine.
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An adult starling (Sturnus vulgaris) in full breeding plumage is a beautiful thing.
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I've always had a soft-spot for these cheeky chappies. My mum says that their walk makes you think that they should be carrying handbags! Many gardener's consider them to be bully boys, but I prefer to think of them as enthusiastic. | | Click to enlarge | |
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Song thrushes (Turdus philomelos) commonly sing from very exposed spots like the top of this recently pollarded willow. | | Click to enlarge | |
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A song thrush (Turdus philomelos) searching the lawn for its invertebrate prey. | | Click to enlarge | |
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One of my garden favourites, the redwing (Turdus iliacus) will brighten up any winter day.
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I always associate pied wagtails (Motocilla alba yarrellii) with service stations, sewage works, roadsides etc. They seem to be very much a bird of the man-made environment. The pied wagtail is the actually the British race of the nominate species known as the white wagtail (Motocilla alba) which is found elsewhere in continental Europe.
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If you live in a rural area, the pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) may be a frequent visitor to your garden - especially if you put bird food on the ground.
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A nuthatch (Sitta europaea) in an uncharacteristically upright pose. | | Click to enlarge | |
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A very handsome bird; you are most likely to see a nuthatch (Sitta europaea) in your garden if you have some mature trees nearby.
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Nuthatch (Sitta europaea) taking black sunflower seed from the bird table.
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Some people love 'em and some people hate 'em: the magpie (Pica pica).
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A charming group of fledgling long-tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus).
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Clearly showing how it came by its name, this long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus) enjoys some coconut.
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A male greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) at a seed feeder. This picture shows the robust and compact appearance of this finch very nicely. It is also a good illustration of the 'ear coverts' - a group of feathers immediately behind and below the eye.
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A Goldfinche (Carduelis carduelis) at a specialist feeder. Nyjer seeds are a great favourite of golfinches whose finely pointed bills are adapted to dealing with small seeds.
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A pair of Goldfinches (Carduelis carduelis) taking Nyjer seed from a specialist feeder.
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The goldcrest (Regulus regulus) is the smallest European bird. This one flew into a window, but thankfully, after a short while, recovered and flew away.
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The nicely lit photo of a Dunnock (Prunella modularis) shows nice plumage detail.
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The dunnock (Prunella modularis) is the real architypal 'little brown job'. But they're more interesting than you think - in fact, they have very adventurous sex lives! (Its always the quiet ones isn't it?) | | Click to enlarge | |
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Although not spectacular, the song of the dunnock is everywhere in spring and is a typical part of the soundscape of the British countryside and garden. | | Click to enlarge | |
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An increasingly rare sight nowadays, this picture of a turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) was taken in the garden of the photographer.
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Collard dove (Streptopelia decaocto) wonderfully framed by Clematis montana.
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Collard doves, like sparrows, love to eat corn which is left on the bird table by most other species. | | Click to enlarge | |
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Close-up of a collard dove (Streptopelia decaocto) - a very elegant bird. | | Click to enlarge | |
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Surely one of the most attractive birds to visit the garden: the male bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula).
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