Greenfinch – Stephen's Wildlife

Perserverance

Earlier this year I bought myself a New Testament in the original Koine Greek language. I was surprised by the order of the books. In my English Bible Paul’s letters follow on from the Gospels and Acts. In the Greek, the catholic or general epistles precede Paul’s. Thus the first letter is James’.

What is the first thing that James says to his readers? “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perserverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.”

I have a bird bath in my garden and have been waiting for weeks to capture a photo of a bird actually using it. This week the waiting finally paid off. First a goldfinch came a drank right in front of me, then, the following day, a green finch did the same thing. On both occassions I was only a few feet away with my camera in hand. My patience and perserverance finally was rewarded with some great close-up shots.

Please excuse my mundane and simple anecdote, to illustrate such profound, biblical and pastoral teaching. I was thrilled to get these photos. I wonder whether James had this feeling in mind when he urged his readers to ‘consider it pure joy’.

The Greenfinch

This male greenfinch is a bright yellowish green, while the female is rather duller. Look out for them in woodlands, hedgerows, parks and gardens.

It is a small bird, about the same size as a house sparrow. (14 cm) There are about 1.7 million pairs in the UK.

Greenfinch – pecking seeds from the ground beneath a feeder

Garden visitors – September 2019

Rare visitors this month include peregrines overhead as well as willow warblers hiding deep in the foliage. Dragonflies, bees and butterflies maintain their seasonal visit. September has also seen the ongoing presence of resident birds such as sparrows, robins and blue-tits.

Colourful flowers

Colour continues into September. The purple Clematis particularly provided a beautiful backdrop. The roses revival is nothing short of resurrection, considering the dry, brown state of the whole bush in August. A trip to the local garden centre injected some additional colour. No idea what we got – the sole criteria was that anything we bought had to be in flower.

Dragonflies

The dragonflies continued presence was as welcome as the warm, late summer temperatures. My photography skills limit my ability to catch these bugs in flight. I have to wait until they land before approaching with the camera.

Sparrows

There are long stretches of time when there are very few birds present in the garden. Sparrows arrive one or two at a time, but these gregarious birds are not on their own for long.

Our sparrow population has risen this year. There is now a group of about a dozen birds. When they are in the garden they chat to each other as they move around. However, they can be very quiet once settled.

Peregrine

We are used to seeing Common Buzzards circling overhead. This Peregrine Falcon was a pleasant surprise and represents a first sighting from the garden. It was instantly recognisable, as we had seen some close up at Bird of Prey centres earlier in the summer.

Long-tailed tits

The long-tailed tits are similar to sparrows; they come in groups. After a summer break they are returning to the garden.

Finches

Greenfinches are difficult to spot. They blend in so well to the background; its only when they move that one’s eye is drawn to them. Goldfinches are regular visitors, but tend to stay high in the trees. Some of the juveniles are tempted down onto the feeders occasionally.

Blue tits and Great tits

Warbler

A first sighting of a willow warbler in the garden.

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