Birds - Photo Gallery

I had never seen a coal tit until I spotted this one in the garden in failing light at teatime in October 2003. Since then, I have noticed several at the garden feeders, both nuts and seed.

They can be difficult to photograph because they take the food away from the feeders and eat it elsewhere, in common with several of the tit species.

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The first 6 pictures here are the most recent, taken in August 2006. Earlier pictures are shown below.

The distinctive calls of collared doves have been familiar to me for many years, long before I could identify which bird was making them

In spite of their abundance in my local area, it was unusual to see them in the garden, but gradually they started flying in, and after a while they began to take seed from the feeder, although they can only do this when a tray is attached.

Collared doves are probably the biggest of the birds that come to the feeders. I find them enchanting because of their gentleness and timidity, and slightly comical in the way that they waddle uncomfortably around the tray on the feeder . In spite of their size they show very little aggression towards the smaller birds and it is not uncommon for a collared dove to be feeding from one of the lower feeding ports while a smaller bird is perched just above, feeding from an upper port. What a contrast with the aggressive behaviour of the starlings!

It is also nice to see them in pairs. Usually one flies in first, often landing on the top of the feeder before flying down to the tray. Its mate then normally joins it as they feed together. Nowadays, collared doves are very welcome daily visitors.

Also known as a Hedge Sparrow, I thought I'd spotted one of these during 2007, but it wasn't until February 2008 that I managed to photograph and identify it.

Very distinctive birds with their red faces and flash of yellow on their wings, I used to see goldfinches at the feeders several times a week. The bird without the characteristic red and black face markings in some of the earlier pictures (August 2003) is a young goldfinch. More recently, through 2007 and into 2008, their numbers in the garden have dropped markedly and they seem to be infrequent visitors. Updated May 2008 (the first 2 photos).