I live on farmland. I have been having a small flock of linnets come and sit in the garden hedge.
Today I have seen a smaller bird, and rather than it being a linnet, I am wondering if it may be a lesser redpoll.
A second bird flew over and likewise seemed small and they immediately flew off together. These are some photos of the first bird.
I had also taken the photograph below,of the back of a bird a week earlier which may be relevant. We had a lesser redpoll identified in the same hedge in 2022.
So could this be a lesser redpoll or is it a linnet?
Looking at the photos again, I know see a redpoll should have red right up to the beak.
Linnet.
Linnet
Richard B
As has been said, linnet. Had a very brief scan, but I can't find the redpoll post from 2022. Is it worth posting that, to double check? Mis-i.d. on here (and elsewhere) has been known.
Hi. The lesser redpoll was identified by ringers who we were working with at the time, on the farm. It was a complete surprise when this bird was collected from the net, as this is a bird that was not known to be in the area.
I think I got excited yesterday and made a mistake in judging the linnets size, with the distance it was away from me. It would have been great to think there was a pair of lesser redpolls.
Out of interest is my last photo the back of a linnet too?
(I couldn't seem to sign in under my original posting. This has happened before).
Thanks. Hopefully the ringers also had linnets, as it's not unknown for those two species to be misidentified even by those volunteering regularly with bird organisations.