All That Glitters is not Gold

All That Glitters is not Gold

What sort of birds do you find using you bird table? the lady guest inquired as I carried her bags through the sunroom which  overlooks the bird table. After running though the various types of tits, finches, bigamy birds, nut hatches hedge sparrows etc. I said my greatest disappointment is that we never get the goldfinch, although several pairs can often be seen like erratic sudden beams of sunlight glittering through the trees, they never visit the bird table. Oh she said airily we get them all the time, you need to put our Niger seeds for them.

Isn’t is amazing how coincidences mingle to make a fool of you, it was the very next morning whilst serving breakfast to the same lady, that I casually remarked on a bird pecking merrily away at the peanuts. I have not seen one of those before, do you know what it is? Oh yes she said airily it’s a gold finch! Honestly in the six years we have been here I have never known the gold finch to use the bird table, but since that morning we get them all the time now and you do not need Niger seeds, peanuts will do, but just in case I am of to the pet shop tomorrow to get in a small store of the goldfinches favourite.

Pam Nicks the best Birds

Pam Nicks the best Birds

Whilst Pam’s lodge is being prepared she has moved in  the house with us, she has also commandeered the large cherry tree which is now festooned with her various bird feeders,, We have two sorts of woodpecker in the vicinity and it is the Greater Spotted Woodpecker which  has been visiting her feeders, but ignoring ours. It’s a very wary bird and always approaches the feeder by an indirect route, landing initially on one part of the cherry tree it gradually makes its approach by climbing along the back of the branches with occasional quick little peeks around until it is finally ready to commit its self.