Can someone please tell me what this is?

[Sapphire2803]

These are my latest visitors... Finally a bit of colour :D

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2145/2569532863_865a8f9f9c.jpg

[the_count]

a real beauty sapphire its a siskin (Carduelis spinus) good to see they are around again

[Sapphire2803]

They're brave little beggars, I'll give em that. Getting on that feeder in the breeze today is like extreme sports! At least they stay still long enough for me to take pics though, unlike the flippin chaffinch....

[Sapphire2803]

a real beauty sapphire its a siskin (Carduelis spinus) good to see they are around again

Thank you for that, we decided it probably wasn't a siskin because I was told they are quite rare... shows how much we know :lol:

[the_count]

i think rare is the wrong word lol more often than not they hang with greenfinch (very similar bird) and get misiddentified .... and they do tend to be more abundant the further north you go :D

[Sapphire2803]

i think rare is the wrong word lol more often than not they hang with greenfinch (very similar bird) and get misiddentified .... and they do tend to be more abundant the further north you go :D

Aah... Maybe that's what the other bird is. I can't get a photo of one, they won't behave and sit still. It's pretty much the same shade of green that is on the Siskin's wing and it has a longer thinner beak. That, I'm afraid, is the best description I can manage. Lol

[highlander]

Here is a photo of a greenfinch to help you compare it with the siskin
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f397/highlander1959/birdtablemay094.jpg

[the_count]

glad someone got a decent shot of one highlander .... i always seem to catch em with the sun behind them which makes em really dark lol :lol: is that the beasty sapphire?

[Sapphire2803]

That's him officer!! :lol:

Thanks Highlander. The ones round here only sit still if they're on top of a tree in a strong breeze and then it's only long enough for me to get almost ready with the camera. :roll:

[silverfox57]

Thank you for that, we decided it probably wasn't a siskin because I was told they are quite rare... shows how much we know :lol:
myself and oh both think its siskin,as we get lots of them in garden,and sad to say but have to pick dead ones up after they crash into windows:~(

[raymac]

Try RSPB site they have a garden bird identifer can be a great help if you only catch a glimpse..

[Sapphire2803]

I've identified a fair few on there, but I find that quite often there are several similar ones and then I'm just baffled :lol:

[the_count]

I have a book called "AA birds of britain and europe" which has illustrations of over 500 species and covers all the birds in the UK plus some of the rarities and migrants we sometimes see. The market price for the book is £25 but i found mine in a sale for a few quid and would sometimes be lost without it. I think the good old "Observers book of birds" is no longer published (which is a shame as they were pocket sized) and as a child I had about 20 of the observers series.:D