This morning my collection of goldfinches brought two cousins with them - 2 lovely redpolls. I did have one about 3 weeks ago but haven't seen him since. He is now back, with a mate. You will have to believe me that his mate is a redpoll as he/she was hiding behind the feeder. I was so excited I choked on my cornflakes, and was very miffed that we had to go out all day to a family gathering and leave them behind!
Hope you can see the pictures!
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Unknown said: OOH, I'm glad somebody laughed, I got a bit worried after I put that, will I get in trouble.
OOH, I'm glad somebody laughed, I got a bit worried after I put that, will I get in trouble.
I had the same dilemma in another forum here when somebody asked "Are there any shags in the Farne Islands?" I had to work quite hard to stop myself posting the obvious response...
Anyway, I feel like I have done my purgatory for not taking it all seriously, as I've just spent ages trying to find redpolls under R in the alphabetical list of birds on this site, before realising that they were listed under Lesser and Mealy respectively. So at least I can now imagine what Sparrow's photos might look like if I could see them.
What does mealy mean anyway?
BB
Hi Badgerbread, phew, I'm not the only one that finds it hard to resist the urge then, I know Sparrow likes a giggle, but then I got to thinking that an awful lot of people read these, and not everybody has the same sense of humour, I was so worried. I've been caught out with the Redpolls too, looking through the index of my book under R, I said how stupid my book doesn't have Redpolls in it, I was very put out, it was about half an hour later it dawned on me DOH !!! should be looking under L.
Sorry I don't know what mealy means.
There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.
Hi Everyone,
I have the RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds, and Redpolls don't appear at all, under R or L. Also, when I submit my weekly count to the BTO Gardenwatch, Lesser Redpolls aren't on the list and have to be submitted separately as a rare bird. Because of this, I feel very honoured to have them.
As for tits, when I told my daughter (aged nearly 40 by the way) about my blue tit, her reply can't be repeated here, suffice it to say it related to wearing warmer underwear.
Unknown said: Seriously though do you really not get any tits in your garden.
Seriously though do you really not get any tits in your garden.
No Bishy, I don't. I am privileged to have the blue tit roosting in my box, but I rarely see them in my garden during the day. I do have a pair of coal tits, and the very occasional great tit, and that is it. I can go for days without seeing any. As blue tits are about the most common garden bird, I find this very odd.
Redpolls do appear in my new FREE book from BTO (see Bird count post) and it says they have very small bills to extract alder and birch seed but will use garden feeders usually with siskins if small enough seed is provided. The picture in the book shows them using a nyjer seed feeder.
Still can't see you pics Sparrow.
Sarah :)
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bramble67/
I can see your photos Sparrow - at last - and they are brilliant. I'm not going into the realms of double entendres as someone I know commented that their collared doves had been mating in their garden for four days and I ended up not responding at all because everything I thought of was wholly unsuitable for a family forum LOL
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!