I'd set up my small "chair-hide" by our pond a couple of days ago, so that the birds could get used to it. The little waterfall fed from the pond by a pump has a couple of pools for birds to bathe and although the light is not the best I thought I'd try and get some pictures.
When I got back from walking round Bockhill I heard a Chiffchaff calling in the garden. This seemed a good time to sit in the hide and wait to see what happened. With a large cushion on the seat, partly to raise me up a few inches and partly to get more comfortable, it made a good place for a semi-siesta. That's where I doze off, but my ears stay awake enough to hear anything calling near by.
It wasn't long before the Chiffy came down to drink. The very short primary projection and dark legs can be seen, the constantly flicking tail can't but was obvious to me.
Goldfinches have been quite numerous on the feeders since the breeding season, like other finches they seem to be doing pretty well. I think this one is moulting from juvenile to adult plumage.
There were some much brighter adults coming down to drink. Much of the time the pools were too busy for me to sleep, but occasionally it quietened down, allowing a brief doze until a noisy Greenfinch arrived and woke my up.
There were a few adult Greenfinches but most were juveniles, still quite mottled and not as bright as the adults.
A small warbler arrived and at first I though the previous Chiffchaff or another had returned. A closer look revealed that it was a Willow Warbler, with much longer wings, pale coloured legs with yellow feet (Chiffchaffs have yellow soles) and altogether a more streamlined looking bird.
This Blue Tit arrived, already looking as if it had bathed, in fact it was just exceptionally scruffy, in dire need of replacing this years feathers.
It was joined by this wery smart Blue-tit. showing just what a new whistle can do for ones' sartorial elegance.
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