David Element's Wildlife Web Page Birds 12

David Element

Wildlife Photography

and Digital Video Images

________________________ Birds 12 - Finches

CHAFFINCH Fringilla coelebs (m)

CHAFFINCH Fringilla coelebs (f)

BRAMBLING Fringilla montifringilla (m)

GREENFINCH Carduelis chloris (m)

GREENFINCH Carduelis chloris (m, f)

GOLDFINCH Carduelis carduelis

SERIN Serinus serinus

SISKIN Carduelis spinus (m)

LESSER REDPOLL Acanthis flammea cabaret

LINNET Acanthis cannabina

CROSSBILL Loxia curvirostra (f)

All of the above images were taken in Britain, with the exception of the Linnet and the Serin. These were photographed in northern Spain. Most finches (e.g. Chaffinch, Greenfinch) demonstrate sexual dimorphism whereas others (e.g. Goldfinch) don’t. Further images of the latter species may be found on Birds 42. The colours are at their brightest during the breeding season. As may be seen, these pictures are quite variable in quality and the newer Nikon D200 and (particularly) D300 digital images are far superior to some of the older scanned transparencies. The latter have been included for illustrative purposes and hopefully opportunities will arise for better photographs to be taken in due course.

The Brambling, Siskin and Lesser Redpoll are all winter visitors to the British Isles, arriving in variable numbers each year. Alder trees should be checked for Siskins and birches for Redpolls during spells of icy weather.

The Crossbill is a fascinating irruptive species that puts in sporadic appearances from time to time in Britain. The female shown above was part of a summer flock of 20 seen at a Surrey nature reserve in very challenging light conditions. Fortunately the highly specialised feeding apparatus which gives this species its name is just visible. These confiding birds strip pine trees of their seeds and they may be detected by the noise of falling cone fragments (which sound distinctly like raindrops)!