Setting The Record Straight.

On Monday 30 March, by chance I spotted a bird through the patio window, in an instant I identified it as a fully feathered and fledged Siskin.

I decided to make a dash for my tripod to make a video of this quite remarkable sight. I was eventually able to combine two videos of the bird in the Willow and then on the feeder.

After I had processed the video's and got to grips with the date and data regarding the Siskin, I quickly realised the significance of a young bird seen on the 30 March, which was at best highly unlikely.

So I was in touch and made enquiries with BTO - British Trust for Ornithology - and received a very comprehensive and much appreciated reply, a few important bits about the issue I have highlighted here.

'It was completely understood why you had thought this bird to have been a 'youngster', being puffed up and downy, and looking lethargic. But several members of the BTO team having viewed the video, the general consensus was that this bird being void of a gape was a adult female Siskin which had probably contracted trichomonosis'. 

The author of this reply told me of a conversation with a another member of BTO involved in Terrestrial Ecology, has given three dates of earliest records of Siskin, one being, '4 live eggs 25 March 2010'.

Conclusion.

The best conclusion I can offer on this issue of a young Siskin in late March in our Lancaster urban garden is....With data I have, the earliest I could expect to see fledged Siskin is the end of April, obviously at least 4 weeks later than I thought one was in our garden on 30 March.

Taking into account, none of the footage could be rated as quality, I fail to understand how it could ever be labeled by anyone as an adult female Siskin, and it's my conclusion that the bird I found in the garden on 30 March was a stunted juvenile Siskin.

I welcome comments that contradict this claim.