Key information

The twittering, wheezing song and flash of yellow and green as it flies, makes this finch a truly colourful character. Nesting in a garden conifer, or feasting on black sunflower seeds, it is a regular garden visitor, able to take advantage of food in rural and urban gardens. Although quite sociable, the Greenfinch may squabble among themselves or with other birds at the bird table.

Greenfinch populations declined during the late 1970s and early 1980s, but increased dramatically during the 1990s. A recent decline in numbers has been linked to an outbreak of trichomonosis, a parasite-induced disease which prevents the birds from feeding properly.

What they eat:

Seeds and insects.

Measurements:

Length: 15cm Wingspan: 26cm Weight: 28g

Images by CRUSH Photography©

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Acknowledgements: Extract taken from RSPB

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Want to make the most of your outdoor space but don’t know where to start? Here’s the RSPB’s ten easy ways to help turn your space into a brilliant place to relax and enjoy that will also help wildlife too! And the best bit is you don’t have to do all ten to make a big difference.

Images by CRUSH Photography©

Follow this link written by the RSPB to find out more.

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Acknowledgements: Extracts taken from RSPB

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1. Swallows belong to the family Hirundininae which also includes martins. There are 84 recognised species worldwide.
2. They are not even distantly related to swifts.
3. Our familiar swallow, Hirundo rustica, is generally known as the barn swallow. It breeds throughout the Northern Hemisphere including every European country except Iceland.
4. The barn swallow is the world’s most widespread swallow but several similar species breed in Africa. Australia’s welcome swallow is also closely related.
5. In Norway and Finland swallows nest well north of the Arctic Circle.
6. European swallows mostly winter in Africa south of the Sahara. Curiously, populations from the British Isles and northern Europe winter farther south than those from central and southern Europe, flying all the way to Botswana and South Africa.
7. A few regularly spend the winter in southern Spain.

1. They like to nest in open-fronted buildings such as barns, stables and cowsheds.
2. It takes a pair of swallows up to 1,200 journeys to build a nest. Only the female lines the nest.
3. Swallows like to nest close to large domestic animals like cattle or horses. The decline in dairy farming in the UK and the resulting increase in arable farming has not suited the species.
4. Most British swallows try to rear two broods each summer and some succeed in raising three.
5. Europe’s population is thought to number about 15 million individuals, with the biggest numbers in Poland and Bulgaria. Britain’s 1 million ranks us in eleventh place.
6. Red-rumped swallows are spreading steadily north from the Mediterranean and small numbers of over shooting birds occur here every spring.
7. Swallows were likely to have been much rarer before man started practising agriculture and animal husbandry.

1. While Mediterranean swallows often fledge their first broods in April, birds that breed in northern Scandinavia seldom arrive before the third week of May.
2. The male swallow invariably arrives back first from migration, singing over his territory in the hope of attracting a mate. Females generally appear a week to a fortnight later.
3. Male and female swallows are virtually identical in appearance.
4. They will readily adopt artificial nests that resemble their own mud-built constructions.
5. Much folklore surrounds the swallow. To see the first swallow of the year is regarded as a good omen. In Russia songs were written to celebrate their return after the long, cold winter.
6. Before the mysteries of migration were understood, it was thought that swallows spent the winter buried in the mud of ponds and lakes.
7. Swallows always drink on the wing, flying low to sip the water.

All Images by CRUSH Photography©

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2019-2021 CRUSH Photography©

Acknowledgements: Extract taken from 'Living with Birds'

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How to Meditate in Nature

Meditation in Nature is done outside in natural surroundings. They help to enliven the basic intelligence of nature in our awareness and physiology. Our being resonates with the sight of a flower, sound of birds, feeling of the breeze. These experiences wake something up inside of us, and help to set our lives into a more natural rhythm. Nature lovers have discovered this secret without ever studying meditation in nature!

In nature meditations, we focus our awareness on the experience of nature — sight, sound, touch, smell (and perhaps even taste). As with every meditation, when the mind wanders from the focus of the meditation, bring it gently back. There are several different ways that this meditation can be done. Experiment and find what works best for you.

Images by CRUSH Photography©

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Acknowledgements: Extracts taken from Meditation Oasis

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