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.

Silver birch seeds

 Silver birch seed catkins are ripening now and fall apart at the slightest touch. Their seeds are an important food resource for several small finches, including siskins, goldfinches and redpolls.

When the catkins disintegrate they separate into woody, arrow-shaped bracts, releasing the much smaller seeds that are surrounded by a broad translucent wing. They can be carried long distances on a windy day - one of the factors that make this tree such a prolific coloniser of open habitats.