It's raining siskins

This mild, wet winter has seen quite a change in the population of overwintering small birds. Conspicuous by their complete absence are the blackcaps. Reed and corn buntings and stonechats are present but not in their usual numbers. Chiffchaffs and white wagtails were around in early winter but we have not seen one in the valley for some time. A truly remarkable sight was a flock of several hundred (probably) female and immature wagtails feeding alongside rooks, starlings and jackdaws and heavens knows what else on the tops above Chaumussay in January, so many it was like a blizzard. A lack of binos prevented a definite identification and when we went back they had moved on.

What we have instead, to our great pleasure, is a swarm of siskins (carduelis spinus, tarins des aulnes). We first met these gregarious little finches in Cala San Vicente, Majorca, during a memorable holiday when we could only get around on foot or by public transport. Simply staying put forced us to examine the wildlife in our local environment, including the gardens of our villa.

Mr and Mrs Siskin enjoying a good meal of peanuts

The siskins have taken to the peanut feeder in particular, displacing the house sparrows and greenfinches and holding their own against the great tits.

If another bird comes too close, both male and female will half-open their wings and spread their tail, flashing their underside in the interloper's face. The female presents her streaked cream fluffed-up body and pale yellow forked tail. The male delivers a flash of vivid yellow tail against an almost black background of primary feathers.

When will it be my turn?

Frequently, they tumble into the air and a punch-up ensues.

Fight! Fight!

Winter has come

Until now the weather has continued to be mild. A week ago the last roses were in bloom. Suddenly the wind has swung around to the North, and a few snowflakes fell as our chickens took their first cautious steps on the loose in the potager.

As we were thawing out over coffee yesterday we became aware that dozens of birds were feeding in the alders outside the front door, where we have hung a large dried sunflower head and a fat-ball feeder. As well as the usual bluetits, great tits, goldfinches, greenfinches and robin, there were some round, plump, bright greenish-yellow stripy small birds wearing black berets. They foraged over the alder seed heads, never staying in the same place for long.

Female siskin - well stripy

Siskins (Tarin des Aulnes, carduelis spinus) had come to visit us again. We blogged about them in 2010 here, here,(with pictures) in 2011, here and here in 2013, but we missed them last winter, when it was mild all the time. I make no excuses for doing another post about them.

Acrobats on the alder - male siskins

They cling, bobbing up and down, to the skinniest twigs to pick out the alder seeds, and twist themselves into knots to get at their favourite food. Their name in French means "Alder Finch".

Ever charming

Today they came back, and explored the cherry tree and the willows as well as the alders. In the sunlight they looked even prettier. The males were in one group and the females in another, in different trees.

female siskin - one of my favourite photos

Male siskin - bright colours aren't everything you know!

Now let me see....

I know there's a seed in there

Alder seed on its way down

Always they were in the company of other birds, mainly goldfinches and sparrows.

Goldfinch selecting an alder seed

Goldfinch - slightly unusual view, of the back of the neck

My picture of the day. Just an ordinary sparrow.

The Eagle has landed...

Well, that's what the birds on the feeders by the house might have thought....
Woke up this morning to a covering of snow again...
and the sight of that Long-eared Owl [Asio otus] Hibou Moyen-duc here again...
normally I don't look out of the bedroom window early...
haven't got my eyes in!
But Pauline groggily asked "Is it still snowing?"

Perhaps I should more often...
the Long-Eared Owl was perched on part of some willow brash that I'd left last year....
nice, I thought, it's still around.
It flew off towards the dead willow....
almost a silhouette against the white.
It struck... in the snow.. and flew on with something.

I came [sorry...was dragged]down to feed the cats....
job done... went to re-vamp some old coffee...
look out of window to see something large fly past toward the cherry tree feeders...
something about that shape, the "jizz",  said...
that wasn't the Kestrel....
no....
it was.........

Wozzat? {Excuse the quality... I still hadn't got me eyes adjusted}

Just scanning...

just perched.. and I got that shot before it flew off again.
The most amazing thing to me was that the small birds...
mainly Siskins and various Tits...
happily carried on feeding...
as if they knew it wasn't looking for them as food.

This shot shows how close...

It was on the left...

 But in taking that last shot, I notice that the feeders are getting low...
I'll trudge out in the snow in a few minutes...
when I have cocooned myself in warm, weatherproof clothing...
and refill the feeders....
the field one is totally empty!

The field feeder is towards the bottom left... and look,  there's a Jeremy flying in!

Now is not the time to stop feeding the birds...
it is time to put out extras!

A small party of Reed Buntings [Emberiza schoeniclus] Bruant des Roseaux are here...
foraging in the willow nursery area...
one of the few areas of bare ground...
they'll come under the house feeders.

These are either females, or still in Winter plumage.

And the Pheasants are right by the house...
under those feeders...
except the cock who...
hanging around on the opposite side of the millstream...
is desperately trying to attract one of them...

Look at me... please look at me... I'm the greatest... look at my pretty colours!

Here... look at the other side!!

Go on...
he looks good against the snow, girls...
despite the silly posturing.

Twittering again...

Flock of Siskin (Carduelis spinus) Tarin des aulnes working one of the alders [aulnes] near the kitchen door this morning...

Alder Catkins and Pussy Willow... from March 2012.
The Siskins were feeding on the little round "cones"
and not these catkins... but we need a lift and I thought
that the golden sunshine looked warming!

A Great White Egret (Ardea alba alba) Grande Aigrette  in the valley... near Gatault on the D103 on the way in to Le Grand Pressigny... it was in the company of around seven Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea) Héron cendré [who were probably saying to each other "Who's that flash b'stard then?"]

Great White Egret from February of last year.

Also seen so far this week... male and female Hen Harriers (Circus cyaneus) Busard Saint-Martin [on separate occasions]... quartering the fields and our meadow...

Male Hen Harrier also from February of last year.

Coming shortly... a post to brighten this weather.

Finches all over

Last weekend, the field opposite on the other side of the river from us was ploughed. Since then, the number of finches using our feeders has increased dramatically, probably because the sunflower seeds they were gleaning from the field have now gone. Until now, the main customers were the blue tits and great tits, with occasional visits from single or pairs of finches, picking up fallen seed from the top of the concrete cistern below the feeders. Now we are seeing
- up to 10 goldfinches (carduelis carduelis), chardonnerets élégants
- a pair of greenfinches (carduelis chloris), verdiers d'europe
- four or more siskins (carduelis spinus) tarins des aulnes and
- at least two more female chaffinches ( fringilla coelebs) pinsons des arbres.

A group of ground feeders... from left: Goldfinch, Blue-tit, Siskin, Goldfinch, Siskin, Goldfinch.

Four of each...Siskin & Goldfinch. Siskin on left is a female.

 

The goldfinches are nowhere near as agile as the tits, but can crush a sunflower seed and extract the kernel in an instant, whereas a tit has to carry the seed away in its beak, fly up to a branch, wedge the seed with its foot and hammer like billy-ho until it pierces or splits the husk. One of the flock seems to be the boss, and perches on the feeder puffing out his feathers and fluttering his wings if another bird approaches. We have dubbed him "Mr Creosote" after the Monty Python character who explodes from over-eating. The markings on the chest of a goldfinch are reminiscent of a soiled waistcoat, and this bird is distinctly portly.

The one called Mr. Creosote!

Their smaller cousins the siskins are almost as skillful as the tits at all the feeders. I watched one this morning break up a peanut and extract it in mouthfuls, having previously investigated the fat block thoroughly while upside down.
Their name in French reminds us that they feed principally on the seeds and pollen of alders, and there are plenty of those around. They are only with us in winter, and will soon be back on their way north-east.

Siskin [male] using the fat-block... normal way up!

A flock of long-tailed tits (aegithalos caudatus) mesanges à longue queue also passed through today, for the first time in a while.

The only Long-tailed tit willing to pose... fleetingly... for a picture... next frame was blank! Just the branch...

Having remarked on the shortage of sparrows ( passer domesticus) moineaux domestiques we are now seeing them in the hedge and out in the meadow under the feeder there. In that area, we are now down to five female pheasants and a sad scattering of feathers (possibly a fox got one). The male is now referred to as Jeremy, because of the red face, bushy eyebrows and large personality.

Busy migrants

Today was dreary, damp and misty, the only colour provided by the big flock of small passerines flitting between our lime tree and the bare field opposite recently sown with wheat. The greenfinches, chaffinches and goldfinches could be resident, or more northerly birds replacing our summer breeding colony who have moved on. Just because you see them all the year round, it doesn't mean they are the same birds. Recently they were joined by Bramblings [Pinson du nord] Fringilla montifringilla, the chaffinch's orange relative, and Siskins [Tarin des aulnes] Carduelis spinus. The adult birds, having moulted in summer, now look very fine.

Bagger discovered my fleece tunnel sheltering the winter lettuce plants. I could only find a rather ragged, used piece of fleece when I was constructing it, having bought the young plants on a whim at Descartes market when the night temperature was minus two. He found a hole in the fleece at one side of the tunnel and stuck his head through. Hm, no voles there yet. Fortunately when he pulled his head out again he didn't pull the whole thing down, but it was definitely a smaller hole than the width of his whiskers!