Siskins

 We've had single siskins at the garden bird feeder since December but lately their numbers have risen, so now we have a small but regular flock of about half a dozen. They are feisty little birds that easily hold their own on the feeders against competing tree sparrows and greenfinches. Their plumage colours intensify as we get closer to the breeding season. In some of these photographs you can see just how sharply pointed their beaks are - like fine forceps - well  adapted for extracting seed from alder cones, their preferred natural food source at this time of year.