Swarovski 80HD Nikon CP990

Behaviour

Lesser Redpoll

Carduelis flammea 13cm

Redpolls are small members of the finch family. They can occasionally be seen acrobatically dangling from small branches feeding on the tiny seeds in the catkins of trees such as the Silver Birch featured here.

I was lucky enough to have a Birch tree in seed directly opposite our house which attracted a small group of Redpolls. The birds were pretty much oblivious to me photographing them, but were extremely difficult to get clear images of as they were upside down with their heads buried in catkins for most of the time.

I nearly missed these images, as I was so used to the tree in question being full of Greenfinches on their way to our feeding station that I probably ignored them several times before noticing one dangling upside down in a very un-greenfinch like way.