A few tricky photos of House Sparrows, Passer domesticus

Female House Sparrow, Passer domesticusThese Sparrows kept flitting from branch to branch and tree to tree, and trying to keep up with them was hard.
Theyt are all female house Sparrows. The males were feeding elsewhere.









Female Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs


I am sorry they aren't much clearer, but they kept choosing the most hidden spots on the branches, with as many twigs in fronty as possible. Apart from this Chaffinch, which decided that posing was a good job. As did the female in the first picture.

The preferred food for a Song Thrush, Turdus philomelos

This Song Thrush, Turdus philomelos dropped out of this tree very sudden, unaware of the clicking shutter, just a few metres off.

The only thing it was interested in, were these lovely, juicy Haws. Eire and the UK are seeing a bumper crop of autumn berries. This is great news for our birds. If we are getting a cold winter again, many of our birds, plus the many migrant birds too, are going to rely on these. Blackbirds, and other Thrushes, like this Song Thrush.


It was obvious that grabbing fruit was the main objective here.

A little digestion needed..

This is a real good berry..

And then I was spotted!
Collared Dove, Streptopelia decaocto
It was trying to cope with the colder temperatures, I think, and sat really huddled right above me.

I only spotted it as I turned away from the road and coming parallel with the road where I'd just been.

A different 'angle' to my Rooks, Corvus frugilegus.

Rook, Corvus frugilegus
One of my Rooks, looking down, after having eaten its fill (in other words: quite a lot!) gave me one last glance before heading off again to its friends at the other side of the fence.
As did this one.


Jackdaw, Corvus monedula
checking out what could be hidden among the grit on the road. This bit of road is frequented by kids which use it as a shortcut between the village shop and their homes.

Blue Tit, Parus caeruleus
Blue Tit on the edge of my Fatsia 'birdtable'

Pied Wagtail, Motacilla alba

Wagtails are regulars in the garden as well. Bossy, and very noisy they are too.


Robin, Erithacus rubecula
Another bossy visitor.

Next week I'm hoping to go to Killarney with the gys at respite. It is the worst I can do to my back, which hardly survives 1 trip to Bantry every fortnight! My hope is that we get to see any of the Sea Eagles there of course.

The arrival of our little friend, The King of Winter; The Wren.

Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes
In Holland, the Wren is called Winterkoning, which translates as King of the winter. I've heard people call it the Winter Wren here as well. This is the time that it starts to look to gardens for shelter and for extra food, now that there is a shortage of natural food. It will scurry about in the undergrowth, looking for food fallen from your birdtable or feeders and for Invertebrates which haven't found their winter 'home' yet.
They might be very small, yet they do weigh twice as much as the Goldcrest; Ireland's smallest bird.

pied Wagtails, Motacilla alba





Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs
Female. Who has just eaten some berries, I think, considering that she has something red in her beak. hawthorn most likely.

Male

Juvenile Jackdaw, Corvus monedula



This lovely brown eye is a sign of age. At first, as fledgling, these would be blue, and the brown is the immature in-between stage.

Compare that with the typical white eye of the adult