Siskins can occasionally found on some back-garden feeders, but are normally seen feeding in alder and birch trees, so you would expect to see them at Croome. However, it's taken me several years to find this one bird at Croome.

Siskins feed in a very distinctive way. They feed on the seeds from cone-like fruits and hang from the branches in an acrobatic way, often upside down - in fact the vast majority of photos I took were upside down. This one was found in an alder tree near the larger of the white bridges over the lake. She is a female, having muted colours (although still very pretty).

Eight months after seeing the lone female in April, I spotted a flock of around half a dozen birds in December. They were in the alder trees near the old boathouse - there are a good number of alders there, so well worth looking there in the winter months. The one below is a male. He has much brighter colouration, bright yellow and black, especially around the head.

Below is a typical feeding scene - several birds crowded together up-side-down!