Redpolls back at last plus Siskins and Long Tailed Tits

For the last few years I've been inundated with Redpolls but so far this year I've not seen any in the garden. Perhaps it's the milder weather.

Anyway - glanced out of the kitchen window yesterday to see about ten Redpolls in amongst a dozen or so Siskins enjoying the feeders. I grabbed a couple of shots before the Long Tailed Tit squadren flew in.

I'm not posting these as being any good, I'm just pleased to have them back. Taken through the kitchen window and had to use ISO1600 on the 40D @f.56/400mm to get any kind of shutter speed as everything was being buffeted by the wind.

Hopefully I can get outside, redo all my perches after the storms and get some decent shots over the coming days.

Hope your keeping an eye on them Phil, there are a few arctic redpolls appearing in the UK.

Do you know what Mossy - I was wondering that today as some of them do seem to have very white rumps.

Wow, it's so busy around your feeders Phil, I've barely seen any small birds around my feeds at the moment, yet we used to have quite a few.

What are those lovely little birds on the nut feeder (left) in the last shot? They look so sweet.

Think the trend is continuing into the New year Phil, birds turning up late because of the mild weather and you may not see the same high numbers of Redpolls than you have in previous years

They're Long Tailed Tits Ken. They're not unlike little fat mice with long tails. I've a few shots of those (not great though) on the camera which I'll post after work.

The number of Redpolls seems OK now but they certainly took their time arriving. Hopefully (being a tad colder here and no neighbours feed to compete with) they'll keep coming.

Very nice set mate I do miss having feeders in my garden since I moved, all I have now are houses all round the rear of my house...

brilliant Phil ..............

Aww! Lucky! We've had plenty of them around, but not in the garden yet! Very annoying as I want them on our garden bird survey this year!

xx