Thursday 21 June 2012

Thankful Thursday: Goldfinch

I looked at the bird table this afternoon and did a double take.  Goldfinches.  We don't get Goldfinches on Lewis do we?  The answer in 1990 when Peter Cunningham's book was last updated was 'very rarely'.  Had I seen them before on Lewis?  According to the notes in my bird book I have seen one once - in 2005 at Eagleton.  Well today I saw a pair.  At The Cottage in New Zealand I see this glorious little bird all the time and blog about it too.  This is a first time on this blog and, unfortunately, the photos are partly obscured by the netting on the bird table to keep the pigeons off the smaller birds' food





So today I am really thankful to have been visited by this beautiful bird.
at

13 comments:

  1. shabby girl22 June 2012 at 02:12

    They are beautiful! I'll have to post pics of Goldfinches in the US. Very different!
    You must have loved seeing them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Graham Edwards22 June 2012 at 09:42

      Thanks Lisa. I look forward to seeing them on your blog. I loved the moose by the way!

      Delete
    2. Scrappy Grams28 June 2012 at 03:16

      Well, Lisa is stealing my words right out of my mouth, not I guess keyboard is more correct. I think I've posted one already.

      Delete
  2. Librarian22 June 2012 at 05:26

    Never mind the netting, they are still very well visible. We mostly get what we call green finches here, and some other kinds, but occasionally, one can spot a goldfinch, too.
    Maybe these have followed you on your migration from NZ :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Graham Edwards22 June 2012 at 09:51

      Thanks Meike. I have lots of greenfinches too. They are as common as sparrows on my feeder. It'd be lovely to think the goldfinches migrated that far although some UK ones do apparently holiday in Spain for the winter.

      Delete
  3. Robyn22 June 2012 at 09:29

    Lovely birds! They are seen occasionally - from memory there were some outside the Council Offices in Stornoway last year....could you report the sighting to Steve Duffield at http://www.western-isles-wildlife.com do you think? I believe it may be a species he's interested in recording on the latest sightings - apologies if I'm wrong. Thanks for sharing them with us!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Graham Edwards22 June 2012 at 09:57

    Thanks Robyn. I have dropped Steve an email. I last saw one here in January 2005 so it's likely there are some permanent residents established now even though the RSPB has the West of Scotland and Islands as Goldfinch-free.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Spesh 122 June 2012 at 11:28

    Thank you Graham. That has answered a question. I now know for sure that we had two on the bird table on Wednesday. David saw them first and asked me what they were. I was unsure as I was under the impression that Goldfinches were not seen on Lewis. I do hope they make a return visit. Is this down to climate change or the fact that they have found a good food source on our birdtables?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Graham Edwards22 June 2012 at 11:32

      I'm glad that you saw them as well. They are a real treat and I'm sure they must have a permanent home somewhere not too far away. I should know more if I hear from Steve Duffield or read his website or reports in more detail.

      Delete
  6. Kate24 June 2012 at 22:37

    I wonder if this means the Islands are warming up.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kay G.30 July 2017 at 17:59

    Just saw this bird yesterday on TV on the Great British Baking Show! I knew you must have it on your blog too!
    Your photos are very good of this gorgeous bird.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Graham Edwards30 July 2017 at 22:13

      Kay I've had even better photos on my New Zealand Blog. Over the last couple of years I've had the birds in the garden again but have been unable to get some really good photos. It really is a beautiful little bird.

      Delete

Comment moderation is activated 14 days after the post to minimise unwanted comments and, hopefully, make sure that I see and reply to wanted comments.