Fuzzy Focus.

Blue Tit hanging around.

Above is a prime example of not being ready with the right camera settings when the action happens AND this is also the fuzzy, out of focus, image that I have been seeing through my left eye for some time ... actually it is much worse than this!

I am booked in for cataract surgery early on Monday Tuesday morning so if all goes well without any unforeseen complications I am hopeful that my clarity of view with both eyes will soon be nearly as good as my camera's auto-focus.

March has arrived with a few more sunny but cold days interspersed  between the continuing blustery showers but this week I have not ventured very far from home. So here are just some of the birds that have come within range of the lens.

My first sighting of a Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus) this year during a wander in Bushy Park on Thursday. Another species whose conservation status in the UK has been upgraded from Amber to RED! 

Close by its slightly smaller cousin the Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) was joyfully singing.

As usual any opportunity to spend time with a Grey Heron (below) will always grab my attention and I have a few other images to share in a future post.

During a late morning walk on Friday around Horton Country Park I finally added another species to my local patch and current year lists, the Siskin (Carduelis spinus), one of our smallest finches. This was definitely a case of identifying them initially by the colour and pattern of their under bellies before spotting the single adult male with his black cap. They certainly tested my patience and focusing skills while acrobatically moving around the top of an Alder some 50 or so feet above my head seeking out the ripe seed heads. 

I logged a much smaller number of the overwintering Redwing (Turdus iliacus) feeding in the horse paddocks and only one individual (below) came close enough for a quick snapshot. Surprisingly this winter I have seen very few Fieldfare and only located one individual amongst the Redwing flocks on Friday.

Linking to:
Saturday's Critters
I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'
Nature Notes 

Siskin.

After the trials and tribulations of the past few weeks it now feels right to start posting again.

The Siskin (Carduelis spinus) is a smallish finch that I usually associate with winter when large flocks can often been seen nimbly hanging from very thin twigs high overhead while feeding amoungst Birch or Alder. For some years my parents have reported a pair or two visiting their feeders during the Summer months and during a very recent trip home I had a very brief opportunity to take a few snaps through the kitchen window.

 I'm sure this male was aware that someone was paying him some attention from the other side of the glass!

Garden visitors today.

Garden sightings today started with a knock on the door by Fiona (our neighbour) to tell Anita that there was a very colourful Pheasant sitting on the fence in the back garden behind the Pittosporum. I was upstairs and on hearing this information I rushed into the rear bedroom just in time to see the Pheasant fly away towards the local pub, disturbed by Anita opening the back door! Well that's a first for our garden list.

I spent most of the day tidying up around the garden whilst being serenaded by the twittering of Robin, Blue Tit, Great Tit, the pair of Long-tailed Tits, Greenfinch, House Sparrows & Dunnock.

Greenfinch

After a visit to the local re-cycling centre I heard two more sounds - Goldfinch and then Siskin (another garden first). Unfortunately he wouldn't show himself fully so only got a partial photo!

Siskin

Other visitors were Blackbird, Starling, Collared Doves & the daily fly over of Rose-ringed Parakeets, Black-headed Gulls, Crow & Magpies.

Most of the colour in the garden is from Hellebores, a few Crocus, Snowdrops, early flowering Narcissus and this Leucojum vernum 'Carpathicum' which has yellow spotted petals as opposed to green-spotted on L.vernum (The Spring Snowflake).