We are coming to the time of year when some of the 'garden birds' are on the move again. Three of these are gems that tend to be only seen in gardens in these parts from January to March. They are Brambling, Lesser Redpoll, and Siskin. We're lucky in our small suburban garden in Ashby de la Zouch in that I cannot remember a year when we have not had all three.
Brambling seems to arrive any time from early January to early March, and often hangs around for days - sometimes weeks! This one visited on 11th January and stayed for just two days.
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| Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) - Ashby de la Zouch on 12th January, 2020 |
We have not yet had Lesser Redpoll visit this year, but I'm hoping that we will see some soon. They usually arrive any time from the end of December to the middle of March. Here's one from last year.
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| Lesser Redpoll (Acanthis cabaret) (male) - Ashby de la Zouch on 6th January, 2019 |
Nor have we had Siskin yet this year. They're usually a bit later, usually arriving some time between mid February and mid-March, and staying later than the previous two. This one is also from last year.
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| Siskin (Spinus spinus) (male) - Ashby de la Zouch on 18th April, 2019 |
If you would like to attract these birds to your garden, all three will come to sunflower hearts, and seem to prefer them in open trays rather than suspended tubular feeders.
If you are feeding birds - and I hope you are - please remember to keep the feeders clean. Finches, in particular, are susceptible to a disease of the legs and feet which eventually destroys their feet, and this is thought to be transmitted through unhygienic feeders.
