240,00 pairs of Wheatear visit the UK during the summer months. It breeds in upland pastures and moorland in western and northern Britain. This one was seen in August in Cornwall.
It sits very upright. It winters in central Africa.
The Wheatear
The Goldfinch
In previous centuries this was a popular caged bird, and its not difficult to see why. These finches are normally seen in family groups, but they will also feed with other species.
The juvenile has the distinctive wing and tail colours, but lacks the red face of the adult.
The Great tit
The UK population of this strikingly beautiful bird is 2.6 million. It is not quite as gregarious, or acrobatic as other members of the tit family: the elder statesman, slightly more aloof and independent.
They are regular visitors to garden feeders, but will be seen anywhere where there broad leaved trees: woodland, parks, farmland. The juvenile (see above) has slightly more muted colours than the adult.
The Spoonbill
With its distinctive spoon shaped bill, this bird cannot be mistaken for any other. Up until recently the UK population has been about 100 birds. This year 100 birds have been seen at RSPB Arne alone.
The Reed Bunting
A striking feature of the reed bunting is its white collar and white moustache, particularly the male in its summer colouring featuring its black head and throat. It is frequently seen singing whilst clinging to a reed stem.
The female has a brown head, not black, and the moustache is a cream colour rather than white.
The Long tailed tit
Cute, pink, fluff-ball, acrobatic: just a few of the adjectives commonly used to describe the Long tailed tit (LTT). The LTT is generally seen in a family group; they are constantly on the move. They are widespread in the British Isles. The latest estimate is that there are 340,000 in the UK, but this fluctuates depending on the severity of the winter months.
Garden feeders are an important source of food for these birds, particularly throughout the winter months.
The Mallard
When using the generic term, duck, this is the bird most people will envisage. The Mallard is embedded in British culture, whether it be the triptych on Stan and Hilda Ogden’s living room wall in Coronation Street, or the name given to the famous record breaking steam engine.
The Mallard is widespread throughout not just the UK, but globally. The female colouring is less distinctive than the male. Ducklings are independent after about 50 days.
The House Sparrow
The house sparrow must be one of the most recogniseable birds on the planet. It is resident on every continent, other than Antarctica. The male has a chestnut brown head, with a grey crown and a black bib.
The female has pale brown crown with a straw colour line above and behind the eye.
When breeding the bill of the male sparrow becomes black.
The Canada Goose
The largest goose in Europe (90-100 cm), there are 62,000 pairs of the Canada Goose in the UK. Often seen in urban and city parks, as well as more rural lakes and reservoirs.
Family groups are a familiar sight during the summer months. Young birds stay with parents until the following breeding season.
The Chaffinch
The chaffinch rivals the robin as one of the UK’s most common birds with a population of 6.2 million. It will be seen widely feeding in open areas such as parks, large gardens and farmland.
The female is a pale yellowish-brown, but the same pattern in the wing as the more colourful male.
Stephen's Wildlife 