For a number of years now, we've been fortunate enough to have Lesser Redpolls visiting our garden each winter. Their numbers vary considerably, with small flocks of 8 birds being recorded several times.
I was concerned that this winter we might not be so lucky due to the noisy building work going on adjacent to our garden. I was, therefore, delighted when the first of these birds of this winter appeared on December 27th. The situation was probably helped by building work being on hold for the Christmas period from 22nd December to 3rd January.
From 30th December we were getting a pair of these delightful small birds visiting us on a daily basis, and they are still with us as I write this. I have not yet managed to get any shots that I'm fully satisfied with, and the female is proving to be less obliging than the male. Here, however, are a few that I've managed to grab so far.
 |
| Lesser Redpoll (Acanthis cabaret) (female + male) - our garden on 30th December, 2017 |
 |
| Lesser Redpoll (Acanthis cabaret) (male) - our garden on 30th December, 2017 |
 |
| Lesser Redpoll (Acanthis cabaret) (female) - our garden on 31st December, 2017 |
 |
| Lesser Redpoll (Acanthis cabaret) (male) - our garden on 31st December, 2017 |
 |
| Lesser Redpoll (Acanthis cabaret) (female) - our garden on 4th January, 2018 |
 |
| Lesser Redpoll (Acanthis cabaret) (male) - our garden on 5th January, 2018 |
I'm now hoping to get some better images, and also hoping that the number visiting us increases. The weather, however, has not been playing ball of late. |
| 2018, Week 01 - 1st to 7th January |
GARDEN RECORDSFor a number of years now, I've been keeping a daily record of the birds that set foot in our garden. In the past, I've shown a table in the right-hand column of this blog, showing the species that arrive in our garden for a particular year, the date they first arrived, and the maximum number seen at any one time. This fell into disuse last year so this year I intend to append, on a regular basis, a copy of the table I produce each week that summarises the garden sightings. Whether or not I keep this up remains to be seen! Week 01 of 2018, has been quite a good one for us from the point of view of variety of species arriving.We do have some consternation at having seen a Hedgehog on two consecutive nights - it should be tucked away for the winter. I am continuing to monitor that situation, with two trail cameras set up for night operation.
Thank you for dropping by. I have done little photography of late, with my main lens being away at Sigma for repair. My substitute lens is more of a handicap than I remembered! I have, therefore, no idea at all as to what the subject of my next post will be!
