Tuesday, December 17, 2013
The Jubilee River
An afternoon walk along the river in search of siskins and redpolls drew a blank in the alder trees. I finally found this lesser redpoll in a silver birch, but would have missed it if it hadn't been calling repeatedly as I passed. I thought it might be a goldfinch but it didn't seem quite right. The bird was feeding upright most of the time, and naturally stopped calling when I switched the camera to video mode.
The Concise BWP describes the bird's perched call as "a plaintive dsooee"; and the call I heard, though insistent, certainly had a fading, plaintive quality to it. A collared dove seemed bothered by the redpoll's presence and kept flying into the tree near it.
There were forty plus wigeon on the flood, and a little egret flew over to the south-east. Four chiffchaffs were feeding on a plentiful stock of flies in the Roundmoor Ditch.
// posted by Christine @ 8:53 AM 
