Feathered Friends

Mr No Tail Sunbathing
Considering its been quite a chilly and windy day today I was surprised to see so many birds sunbathing in the brief sunny spells we had. This female Chaffinch chose to do her sunbathing on the garden bench whilst Mr No Tail sprawled out on the grass.
Chaffinch (female) sunbathing


Over the last few weeks I've seen 4 birds similar to this one who have lost all their feathers on their heads. Apparently this is quite common at this time of year as the birds go into their post nesting moults. But it could also be caused by a mite. Birds can easily preen them away from their bodies but cannot reach their heads to do the same, hence the lack of feathers. Apart from making them look very strange it doesn't do an adult bird any harm and they will grow back a full head of feathers after their next moult, so I'm told. I'm cleaning the feeder regularly just in case, as this can help stop it spreading to other birds, if it is a mite.This is one of the Chaffinch chicks. You can see he is just starting to get his male plumage feathers, like his dad who's standing behind. The siskins flew in for a quick meal before heading off again.