Mealy Redpolls

05/03/11

Mealy Redpoll UK #1 from Lewis Thomson on Vimeo.

This winter my garden has been absolutely fantastic for birds, hard work really does pay off! I started my campaign to fill the garden with winter finches back in early November, the bird that I really had in mind was Mealy Redpoll. I set up two feeding stations, one with purely black sunflower seed and one with niger and millet. It was slow to start with, but I persevered and by the middle of February we had flocks of up to 100 Bramblings, c80 Lesser Redpolls, c80 Siskins and c15 Goldfinches, but more importantly (for me at least) four stonking Mealy Redpolls.

The video clip above shows one of these birds feeding until the flock is spooked by tit alarm calls, no doubt there was a Sparrowhawk nearby. Note how white and large the Mealy is when compared to the Lesser Redpolls feeding in the foreground, stunning birds!

Sadly the flock has dwindled now as spring approaches and only a few Lesser Redpolls and Siskins are visiting in the mornings before our local Sparrowhawk becomes active, but it just goes to show what you can get in a garden with a bit of effort!