Robin
(Erithacus rubecula)
Why is this pretty little bird associated with Christmas?
It stems from ancient myth and belief. The robin, being so colourful and bright, stood out as a symbol of warmth and hope against the cold grey of winter.
Then when the giving of Christmas cards became popular in the Victorian era, the little bird became a natural symbol of the season.
Don't let it's cute appearance fool you into thinking it's the picture of innocence though, they can be quite aggressively territorial.
I have to admit to having a soft spot for these little curious characters. By curious i mean opportunist, smart enough to know food is never far from humans.
"Chubby"
A4 print in A3 outer mount £55.00
"Chubby Too"
8" Square Print in 12" mount £55.00
"Tufty"
A4 print in A3 outer mount £55.00
"Podgy"
A4 print in A3 outer mount £55.00
Eurasian Wren
(Troglodytes troglodytes)
"Jenny Wren"
8" Square Print in 12" mount £55.00
The Latin name for the Eurasian Wren, means, "Cave Dweller."
Apt for a small bird who often roosts in crevasses or other openings with multiple others for warmth in colder spells.
The name "Jenny Wren," stems from the past when it was common to give birds Christian names. Robbin Redbreast, Willie Wagtail etc. The little wren seems to have held onto hers, as it usually denotes the female, much longer than most.
For the size of the bird, usually no more than about 9 grammes, it has quite a voice. One of the loudest songs of the small birds, and can often be seen on a perch or post, out in the open, "Giving it Laldy."
"Chatty"
8" Square Print in 12" mount £55.00
"Chatty's Pal"
8" Square Print in 12" mount £55.00
Dunnock
(Prunella modularis)
The Dunnock is known by many other names: Hedge Warbler, Hedge Sparrow, Hedge Accentor & Titling.
The female is regularly "polyandrous," mating with two or more males at once. They lay up to six eggs at a time and the DNA of the chicks can point to different fathers in one brood.
Dunnocks copulate in just one-tenth of a second and can mate up to a hundred times a day. Males provide parental care relevant to their breeding success, so it is common for two males and a female to provide the nestlings care
"Hedge Warbler"
"Titling"
Eurasian Nuthatch
(Sitta europaea)
"Nutty"
8" Square Print in 12" mount £55.00
This beautiful little bird is quite the little acrobat and can feed in any orientation, often running down the tree-trunk at speed.
Monogamous, pairing for life. The male can often be seen feeding the female courtship titbits.
Eurasian Chaffinch
(Fringilla coelebs)
The Eurasian Chaffinch was once a popular caged songbird and large numbers of wild birds were trapped and sold.
At the end of the 19th century, trapping resulted in a severe depletion of wild birds in British parks.
The male is predominantly the most vocal of the pair and was heavily persecuted, hence breeding pairs diminished.
It is now, thankfully, one of the most common of the British Finches.
"Eye on the prize"
8" Square Print in 12" mount £55.00
"The Reward"
"Not The Early one"
Eurasian Stonechat
(Saxicola rubicola)
The Stonechat gets its name from its call, which sounds like two small pebbles being rattled together.
"Stoney"
A4 print in A3 outer mount £55.00
"Pebbles"
A4 print in A3 outer mount £55.00
House Sparrow
(Passer domesticus)
"The Good Providor"
8" Square Print in 12" mount £55.00
Yellowhammer
(Emberiza citrinella)
"Barley"
8" Square Print in 12" mount £55.00
The Yellowhammer belongs to the Bunting family. It used to be abundant, but since the 1960's it has seen a catastrophic decline, disappearing from large parts of Scotland.
Meadow Pipit
(Anthus pratensis)
"Pip"
One of the common Passeriformes, from the Latin passer 'Sparrow' and formis 'Shaped'. Which includes more than half of all bird species.
Ranging from Greenland and the Urals in the north, down to equatorial regions. It is technically migratory, but manty in Europe remain static, or at best, travel to coastal areas.
Great Spotted Woodpecker
(Dendrocopus Major)
A proper little headbanger, literally. Their nest holes are excavated by their beaks, acting like a small Jack Hammer. The birds physiology is adapted in such a way that they can tolerate the relatively high percussive force exerted on their face, jaw & neck.
Their spine also continues further into the tail structure than other birds to allow them to use it as a brace.
"Bit of a Squeeze"
8" Square Print in 12" mount £55.00
"Good Providor"
A4 print in A3 outer mount £55.00
Eurasian Siskin
(Spinus spinus)
"Sunlight"
A4 print in A3 outer mount £55.00
A small member of the Finch family. The female is depicted here. They are not too shy and you can usually observe closely until breeding season. At this time they become elusive.
There is a German legend that says Siskins guard a magic stone in their nests which makes them invisible.