Redpoll: New Species for Garden List

We were excited to see a pair of Redpolls in the garden yesterday. The male was looking resplendent with his red breast and cap. The female on the feeder shows how small they are compared with the Goldfinch. The male was ringed - presumably a British ring - anyone any  info on this?

Pinhole Images Toft

These are taken with my pinhole camera - still amazes me how an image can be produced with just a pinprick in silver foil. I failed to get my hole quite central so diffraction occurs with the bright lights and there is a bit of distortion on the lower edges of the frame. The exposures in the church were around 60 seconds and outside 0.6 to 1.5 seconds.

Ash Die-Back and Woodland Birds

Hardwick Wood is one of East Anglia's Ancient woodlands and its Ash trees are suffering badly with Ash Dieback - the tell-tale white twigs can be seen in the woodland panorama with close ups to follow. The fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus causes the lethal disease and represents a substantial threat. It was detected in the UK for the first time in 2012 and is now very widespread. The fungus blocks water and nutrients moving in the tree's vascular system, causing a restriction in water movement that leads to a significant leaf loss, bark lesions and then the dieback in the crown of the tree itself (hence the name). The loss of the Ash trees will affect the wood - there will be fewer trees for the nesting Buzzards and Kites though hole-nesters such as the Tits, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches and Tree Creepers may gain temporarily 

Moon Set, Sun Rise

I went out early to catch the moon setting this morning and, as the moon reached the horizon, a fiery 

sun rose opposite. Lovely colours in the sky and landscapes today, from soft pinks to bright yellows and oranges

Garden Birds

A lot of activity in the garden today with up to 6 goldfinches feeding on the various seed heads (so glad I haven't been tempted to clear these away yet). They were joined at the feeders by Longtailed Tits - now in pairs as breeding starts, Greenfinch, Starlings and, for the first time this year, a Siskin.