Tuesday 5 July 2016

A Hungry Young Chaffinch


At this time of year young birds visit our seed and peanut feeders regularly. Mostly, although still fluffy and with indistinct plumage, they feed themselves. Great Spotted Woodpeckers are the only birds we regularly see feeding their young. Yesterday for the first time we saw a young chaffinch being fed by a female chaffinch - it's mother we assumed though I'm not so sure now. That's because today a young chaffinch - possibly the same one - was back again and being fed, at first by a female chaffinch. However when she flew off the youngster starting soliciting food from any bird that came near, shaking its head and body from side to side and opening its beak wide. This was successful as we saw it being fed by a male chaffinch, a greenfinch and a siskin! I've never seen anything like this before. I wonder how common it is.


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