finches and buntings in the Ancholme Valley

 while about 99.9% of the arable fields are totally devoid of birds a couple of strips of sunflower and game cover held a good collection of finches and buntings including a few Tree Sparrows, 5+ Brambling and a flock of 22 Corn Buntings but overall the depressing state of farmland birds has never been more evident -- all with the Canon R6 and 400 DO2 plus the 2x converter on a dull morning at slow shutter speeds with a predominantly white sky - spring is around the corner

Siskin and Chaffinch

feeder birds

do male Chaffinches have green rumps?

funny things stick in the birding memory; back in 1970 as an RSPB youth volunteer staying at Leighton Moss I recall an issue of Birds magazine arriving with a painting I think by Eric Ennion on the cover and it showed a male Chaffinch with a bright green rump; I thought do Chaffinches really have green rumps as I did not recall seeing it before -- but then you have to look harder thats why artists are such good observers

feeder birds

desperation doing feeder birds -grimy Great Tit or melanistic gene?- must get out more