We're extremely lucky here with all the bird life we get in the garden and around us and I often forget that there is almost another world out back and down the side. Why? These boundaries have fields on the other sides so a host of different birds live in and around the hedges there. I'm so busy watching and photographing the birds out front at the feeders, I often forget to take a wander round there.
January, cold, wet and windy and I often forget to even have a look round here.
Guys hanging out
Reed Bunting and Yellowhammers spend a lot of time in the hedge before dashing out into the fields to forage. I'd hoped to see Yellowhammers when we moved here, they live in our hedge :)
Chaffinch female
The Chaffinches also seem to use the hedge to hide in and there are a LOT of them :)
Linnet female
We have a good sized flock of Linnet around at the moment and they use the back tree as their perch in the daytime. When the birds gather together, there's quite a flock of them.
Yellowhammers, Linnet & Reed Bunting
The Linnet are very elusive and we only ever get glimpses of them but it's great to see them at all. The Reed Buntings are a bit braver and will sit in the hedge and on the fencing quite openly, great for photographs.
Reed Bunting male
Reed Bunting female
The males have a darker / black head which makes the white moustache quite pronounced, the females have a varied brown head.
Reed Bunting male
I can wander round to the side, stand with my back to the house wall with the tripod set up and get some really nice shots, with patience :)
The Yellowhammers can look the same in the winter months but the males really colour up into Spring with the bright yellow head while the female does brighten but does not show the bright yellow head.
Yellowhammer female & Chaffinch males
It's fabulous having such a mixed flock close to hand.
Mixed flock in the tree
