Return to moorhen home page

Return to section index


Image-of-the-Day by Subject


Birds - Goldfinch Page 1

Image Taken on 20 Oct 2010 at 16:54    Image of day on 15 Dec 2010

A flock of about 30 goldfinches is often about the plot enjoying the catkins. They are very skittish and you have to be slow and patient for them to ignore humans. Here the flock is arriving at a silver birch.


Ref: 20101215_df1_20101020_1654_099 flock of about 30 goldfinches landing in top of silver birch 2 of 8 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 20 Oct 2010 at 16:55    Image of day on 15 Dec 2010

Now they have all landed in this one tree there seem to be more goldfinches than tree! (genuine single frame). The endless twittering of these flocks is a delight.


Ref: 20101215_df1_20101020_1655_126 flock of about 30 goldfinches landing in top of silver birch 8 of 8 (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg


Image Taken on 07 Feb 2009 at 12:30    Image of day on 27 Feb 2009

Goldfinches seem less than usually human intolerant in the snow (though it has all melted or be knocked from the branches in this image).


Ref: 20090227_dc1_20090207_1230_017 goldfinch(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 04 Oct 2010 at 11:13    Image of day on 26 Nov 2010

And one in more details - "caught in the act". Is the look 'guilty' or 'so what'.


Ref: 20101126_df1_20101004_1113_023+024 goldfinch adult feeding on silver birch catkins (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 07 May 2009 at 16:31    Image of day on 30 May 2009

Goldfinches have moved from occasional sightings to 'all round the house'. They are so attractive we can't resist including this portrait.


Ref: 20090530_db1_20090507_1631_009 goldfinch and dandelion(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 25 Mar 2011 at 06:44    Image of day on 22 Apr 2011

And another (maybe the same) bird photographed from the house on a stem in the middle of the reed bed. We saw this one only filling it's beak and flying off with it, rather than trying to eat the tiny seeds.


Ref: 20110422_df1_20110325_0644_102 goldfinch collecting reedmace seed head for nesting (crop 1)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image of day on 15 Feb 2005

Goldfinches are usually an early winter visitor to our teasels, but this lone bird arrived and stuffed him/herself with seeds in the left-over heads. This image from a sequence shows the chaff dropping from the beak as it frees the kernel.


Ref: 20050215_d30_04579 goldfinch eating teasel seed seq 3 of 4 2005feb09_13-01-16(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 13 Jan 2012 at 12:56    Image of day on 11 Feb 2012

We are being 'charmed' by the goldfinches feeding on the various tree seeds. Here this one bird was picking out and eating seeds on a Silver Birch tree.


Ref: 20120211_df1_20120113_1256_208-210 goldfinch feeding on silver birch seeds 4-6 of 6 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image of day on 01 Dec 2005

The goldfinches arrived mid November and made straight for the teasel seed heads. On a still but frosty morning this little creature looked so alone high up in our tallest tree. You can see the normal sleek look is replaced by plumped out feathers.


Ref: 20051201_d60_05870 goldfinch high in frosty black poplar 2005nov20_10-03-16(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 23 Aug 2007 at 17:18    Image of day on 13 Sep 2007

This montage shows a real occurrence of an adult goldfinch taking off leaving a juvenile (and a few more out of the crop) on the wires. They don't seem to indulge in feeding on the wires.


Ref: 20070913_d01_20070823_1718_046&049 goldfinch juvenile on wire and adult just taken off (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 11 Aug 2007 at 16:38    Image of day on 03 Sep 2007

A Goldfinch having a half-hearted attempt at mating. Goldfinches have not been seen here in previous summers, but this year they have a family. Having delighted in their sweet chittering and little groups flying about, we understand the collective name 'charm of goldfinches'.


Ref: 20070903_d01_20070811_1638_096 goldfinch male attempting to mate(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 12 Feb 2010 at 12:17    Image of day on 13 Mar 2010

Just about all the seed eaters are trying hard to destroy next year fruits! But Goldfinches are ALWAYS welcome almost regardless of the mischief they get up to. Prior to these images the Goldfinch had lifted the out-of-reach fruit by its stem and then clamped it at reachable length under one foot.


Ref: 20100313_db1_20100212_1217_080+099 goldfinch on common alder twig while feeding on fruits (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 10 Apr 2011 at 18:10    Image of day on 13 May 2011

This one kept on going long after there was no hope of it getting any more into the beak.


Ref: 20110513_dc1_20110410_1810_061 goldfinch on reedmace seed head repeatedly pulling out more than it could carry (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image of day on 13 Dec 2005

This image from February shows what we see now through the scaffolding at the end of the day when there is no light to photograph them. We let the Teasels run wild in patches and many finches spend hour on them picking out the seeds.


Ref: 20051213_d30_04600 goldfinch on teasel 2005feb09_13-04-12(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 30 Nov 2011 at 09:59    Image of day on 05 Jan 2012

Goldfinches seem to be many peoples favourite small birds, and are certainly high on our list. This bird (and a few of his friends nearby) wheedle seeds out of teasel heads for many months.


Ref: 20120105_df1_20111130_0959_087 goldfinch on teasel head (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 30 Nov 2011 at 09:59    Image of day on 05 Jan 2012




Ref: 20120105_df1_20111130_0959_115 goldfinch on teasel head (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 14 Jun 2008 at 16:32    Image of day on 22 Jun 2008

Goldfinches have not 'disappeared' for the summer this year and this one was sitting on the overhead phone wires looking beautiful.


Ref: 20080622_dc1_20080614_1632_446 goldfinch on wire(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 23 Mar 2011 at 07:40    Image of day on 22 Apr 2011

Read mace seed heads are very popular for nesting material with the Goldfinches as well as other birds not so obliging with photographs. This is a genuine single frame of the pair of birds.


Ref: 20110422_d5c_20110323_0740_081_fb2 goldfinch pair one with beakful of reedmace down for nest (crop 1)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 10 Apr 2011 at 18:07    Image of day on 13 May 2011

The Goldfinches have been ripping the reedmace to pieces for a couple of weeks to take away for nest lining. We love the 'umbrella' stuck to the birds head.


Ref: 20110513_dc1_20110410_1807_007 goldfinch poised on vertical stem of reedmace (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 02 Oct 2010 at 09:09    Image of day on 26 Nov 2010

A flock of about 100 goldfinches disperses to feed. Here a group of 10 in one image is better presented as this 7 all stuffing themselves on Silver Birch catkins. This is a mixture of males, females and juveniles.


Ref: 20101126_df1_20101002_0909_036 7 of 10 goldfinches feeding on silver birch catkins (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Backwards

Forwards

 

Comments and requests for image use

To make a comment, ask for information or to request a full resolution image, send us an email including the reference or the date for the image you are interested in.

All initial contacts should be made using the icon below:-

Mail Us