Simply Stunning Bird! Spring Male REDPOLL!

Christmas came early today wearing a suit of red!

A flash of shocking red and white suddenly appeared outside my window this morning and it wasn't Santa! The four none birder day trippers I was serving tea all startled with amazement! I have been seeing Redpolls at my feeders and in my garden for years now and all others pale to this one... even the Arctics. It fed most of the day on the ground below the niger seed feeder just outside my window. So close to the house I had a hard time seeing it or taking photos through the glass at a angle. Like a sunset none of these photos do the bird justice.

on the ground below the window

 

I had to go outside to see it better and of course then it pops up in front of my window again... darn it! I did get this sort of cool shot. I love the Shadows in this photo, plus you can see the back of my computer where I work and watch birds at the same time.



A few Days ago I was thrilled by this!
but this new Redpoll is now raining on his parade, in the sunshine to boot!

It hung around all day ever when I cut the lawn

My book shows this Redpoll is a Spring male of the northern race Carduelis  flammea (N Fenno-Scandia)

It is mixed into a group of Twite with 2 other Redpolls a Siskin. They all feed fairly peacefully with occasional visit from Brambling, Chaffinch and House Sparrows.

Waiting for me to go back in side the house and stop doing yard work or playing football with Henry.

Fair Isle Wren - Fair Isle's only indigenous subspecies

 Wrens are almost impossible to photograph well, but I lucked out today as he was displaying for his mate and he didn't worry about me. That isn't saying that it held still for long...

I have been trying to get a good photo of this colour ringed Twite for weeks now...

I thought my luck had changed and this Twite was not as flighty as it has been, but then I noticed a second colour ringed Twite at the feeder at the same time with the same colour combo so it is probably the new bolder bird? The Twite is comically stretched out clearly showing the rings in this photo.



I can even see a few #'s  9 5 8 1 4  if that helps anyone?

 

The Redpoll in the warm evening light.


More photos added from the next day.
as it is still here and I can't help but take photos of it!

The Three Little Redpolls



This one is browner with a brick red head

This one is whiter with a dark red head

 and this one is cherry!

Redpoll - Deadpoll

Redpoll

Their has been about a dozen Redpolls in and out of my garden for weeks but as hard as I try, I can't get close enough for a good clear close up photo. It's not like they are eating out of my hands. LOL! I have been trying to photo this one very red breasted Redpoll in particular... but as you can see I'm to far away and by the time I crop in on the photo its not as sharp as I wish.

 

This is the best and closest photo I've been able to capture of this bird.

I like this photo it is a nice Fair Isle photo with a pretty bird with the Methodist Chapel in the background. I was hoping to get a better portrait of the bird though... Little did I know that I wasn't the only one keying on the birds beautiful red breast. Today as the light was fading I found this!

Deadpoll

Dead but not eaten. CATS! To put a human face on this is one of over 50,000,000 birds killed in Britain by cats this year. The USA is said to have over a billion birds killed by domestic cats every year. Feral cats who knows? Yes cats have wild and natural instincts but pets are a species introduced by man or woman to ecosystems... even if it's only your garden. This stuff really bothers me and this is not how I wanted to get my close up. I really want my blog to be a positive experience so I'm going end my post with a photo of a different Redpoll that is hopefully still alive. Cheers