A beautiful, glossy black crow just a few feet away from me foraging for food. Viewed from the side, closer than I've ever been and able to see that the black is not uniform, there are shades of dark grey on chest and back.

Giving me the side eye in disgust for watching. In reality, the nictitating membrane which protects the eye. Bird is crouching close to a plastic shield protecting a young sapling, sadly one of many dead because they were planted in a hot dry spring.

Corvids are known to be clever birds and here it is opening the plastic to get to the shoots inside.

Here it has pulled out the shoot which is still attached to the "trunk" of the sapling. It wasn't able to pull that one free but had detached some shorter ones.

010326 OM1ii Millennium Field #York #yorkbirding #ukbirds #northyorkshirebirds #uknaturalists #wildlifephotography #OMSystem It's taken 80 yrs to appreciate the beauty of the Crow, better late than never, eh! This one, very busy, was only a few feet away, so I stood, watched, point, click, hope.

Lovely female Siskin, much less flamboyant than the bright male. Her chest is lightly striped. Pink beak. She's fluffed up because it's a bit cold. Many birds feeding on the Alder seeds. No Redpoll seen on several visits, maybe they've moved on as more Siskin seem to have arrived

He's yelling "Look at me." Yellow head with a dark forehead, striped light and dark wings

His dark forehead patch clearly visible in this shot.

Yellow chest the dark under chin patch ruffled as he's puffed up against the cold

170226 OM1ii Millennium Fields #York #Yorkbirding #northyorkshirebirds #ukbirds No idea how many Siskin in the little wood, sounded like a welcome invasion force. Managed to get fairly close too.

16/170226 Millennium Fields #York #yorkbirding #northyorkshirebirds 2 Thrushes ?song on Monday and a surprisingly kind Treecreeper today. Couldn't get really close but delighted to see them.

140226 OM1ii Millennium Fields #York #yorkbirding #ukbirds #birds #northyorkshirebirds #naturelovers Sky was a funny colour, called BLUE, I think, & there was a yellow thing shining brightly. Off we went in search of Siskin, heard lots, no idea how many, as usual high & distant, sore neck & shoulder

A lucky shot, 2 Siskin, one has just taken off and the wings are partially open, the other clinging to the seed heads

Female, less brightly coloured than the flashy male, no distinctive dark forehead and with a lightly striped chest

Male, scratching. Back towards the camera, left wing down showing the bright yellow body. Wings are black and yellow. Left leg near the head

Male Siskin, black forehead, yellow wings closed across the body

010226 OMSystem Millennium Fields #york #yorkbirding #northyorkshirebirds #wildlifephotography Hadn't seen Siskin in my last 4 visits to MF & wondered if they had moved on. Definitely NOT. No idea how many other than many scattered around the area.

4 Redpoll hiding and not showing their faces, obviously feeling a bit shy, the only shot I managed yesterday.

Tiny brown bird, pale chest and the red forehead patch from which it gets its name, just visible. Didn't see many today, only 3, but always a joy to se them.

A much better view of the puffed up pale striped chest and red forehead

Seen mostly from the back, paler head, brown wings

010226 OM1ii Millennium Fields #York #yorkbirding #ukbirds #northyorkshirebirds #redpoll #siskin #OMSystem #naturelovers #wildlifephotography My last, and only, photo of January and 3 of a lot! today, Feb 1st

carduelis spinus 12cms long finch male yellow and green

Male has a dark forehead

Male yellow chest, the breeding season black chest bib is absent now.

191225 Millennium Fields #York #yorkbirding #ukbirding #northyorkshirebirds #uknaturalists #wildlifephotography #OMSystem Only 2 Siskin today, clearly visible but as ever too high and distant for my bad shoulder and damaged neck.

FALCO TINNUNCULUS, Kestrel looking down on its world. Wingspan 65-80cm. I think this is male, blue grey head and dark spotted light brown chest. At least THIS shot is reasonably clear!

CARDUELIS SPINUS. Small winter visitor. Male is yellow & green with black forehead. Yellow chest visible in this very distant shot.

Apologies for a rubbish shot with wings wide spread. Black forehead visible with yellow stripes to the sides

Head down feeding and so not visible but the pale abdomen and dark & yellow side stripes above the abdomen can be seen.

061225 Millennium Fields. #York #yorkbirding #northyorkshirebirds #uknaturalists #naturelovers. Kestrel and here they are SISKIN!!!! About 40 Siskin & Goldfinch. Too high for good pics with a bad left shoulder & damaged neck but so happy they are here at last. Also 4 Cormorants crossing the Ouse

33 tiny black Chimney Sweeper moths today despite less than ideal conditions.

Mrs Blackcap. Mr had just flown out of sight. I'm using my butterfly not birding lens so quite a tight crop.

Again, to my delight, 2 gorgeous Yellow Shell moths. This one sat still long enough for a 6 image in camera stack.

080625 Walmgate Stray York. @bcyorkshire.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social #muchadoaboutmothing #northyorkshirebirds #yorkbirds #bugmacrophotography #uknaturalists #inverts #birds #entomology #ecology #OMSystem 90mmlens+x2ext

020625 Very distant shot of what I THINK is a Chiffchaff. Also 10!!! SWALLOWS, briefly over Walmgate Stray 3pm #yorkbirding #ukbirding #northyorkshirebirds #naturelovers #uknaturalists #york #ukbirds #wildlifephotography

Various shades of grey stripes across the wings, head and extended front legs very "furry"

Hopeless shot of the only Heart & dart . Brown with darker shapes resembling a heart and a dart, hence the name.

I think this beautiful little moth is a Pug but no idea which. It's cream, orange, brown with a cream body which has several dark spots in a line along the length of th ebody

310525 Heart & dart and 2 nameless moths, apologies as I ask for help - AGAIN! @bcyorkshire.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social #muchadoaboutmothing #teammoth @mothiduk.bsky.social #northyorkshirebirds #yorkbirds Tildi decided 4th walkies & 3 SWIFTS over Heslington Lane

Tiny black moth seen from the underside as it rests on a grass stem. The wings have an iridescent hue and a fine white fringe at the lower edge of the upper wing.

280525 Walmgate Stray THREE!!! SWALLOWS seen on morning walkies and 12 Chimney Sweepers. @bcyorkshire.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social #northyorkshirebirds #inverts #naturelovers #muchadoaboutmothing #aurelians #york,yorkshire

Great to see Redstarts back at the Hole of Horcum with 8 yesterday. Same number of Wheatear plus 2 Raven, Green Woodpecker and 20+ Willow Warbler. Also 6 Curlew on the moor and 30 Fieldfare still a sign of winter. @northyorksbirds.bsky.social @northyorkmoors.org.uk #ukbirds #northyorkshirebirds.

A Ringed Plover in the upper harbour this morning was just outside my Ruswarp patch boundry. The Water Rail showed well for all of 2 seconds, the Goldeneye was still at Chainbridge and Bullfinches were everywhere. @whitbynats.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social #northyorkshirebirds #YorkshireBirding