Male Rosefinch & Red-Rumped Swallow - How close is too close?

Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus - male

In the window box birdtable

I woke this morning 8:15am with my son yelling "Dad! female Rosefinch on the birdfeeder!" I was not that surprise because it had been eating the cast off seeds on the ground the night before but still I was  excited! I came down stairs and there it was just outside the window. I soon checked the other window and couldn't believe it! A Male! I called the family over... move slow, don't scare it, I said. then a Redpoll flew up and lost it's fight to get onto the birdfeeder. "It's a red bird day!" I said, and with the day later sightings of 3 Red-backed Shrikes and a Red-Rumped Swallow it certainly was. We have not had a red male in a few years, last year Nick had unpesidented flock of 16 Rosefinch in his garden not one of them red... The 2 Rosefinch were last seen on the feeder at about 9:30pm. Henry & I took about 250 photos over the course of the day, here are a few.  

The bird fluffed & unfluffed

The 2 Rosefinch fed all day on my Nigerseed feeder I made out of a old baby lambs bottle.

 

The male & female Rosefinch in the old X-mas trees.

Female Rosefinch

Female Rosefinch sharing feeder with the resident Twite.

Rosefinch on the Stick List!

Red-Rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica

When I say the birds are to close I mean like we had to duct our heads and bodies sometimes as the Red-Rumped Swallow came that close. The Red-Rumped Swallow was a self found lifer for Asst. Warden David (sorry I can't recall his last name at the moment) but I don't think he could either at the time. Well done! It is amazing to watch any Swallow but this one is a Fair Isle - First for Britain from 1906 check this out for some history on it: http://fair-isle.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/red-rumped-swallow-flew-over-my-garden.html

Red Rumped Swallow flying out of frame. The black bit cut off on the top boarder. 

A Red-Backed Shrike at Setter Croft spotted by Ian Stout.

It's a red bird day!