Linnet Murmurations!

I hope you enjoy the gorgeous sight of around 800 Linnets flying around a stubble field on the Causeway Coast of north Antrim, Northern Ireland ~ 03/10/2016.
Such wonderful sights are reminiscent of the 30s & 40s & remind me personally of my first Birdwatching experiences in the early 50s, when Bird of Prey numbers were healthy & large flocks of such songbirds were commonplace ... before modern farming practices began destroying our Wildflowers.

These delightful little birds have always been my favourite finch, since I first started Birdwatching nearly 60 years ago. As well as his fine summer plumage & their rather plaintive call, the male also has my favourite bird song & there is something rather charming about the fact that during the Spring & Summer you only ever see them together in pairs.

Linnet decline due to modern farming methods:

"Other farmland bird species that depend on the same diet have declined drastically at the same time as the linnet in both numbers and range. Linnets are more dependent on wildflower seeds than other seed-eaters during the breeding season, as chicks are fed exclusively on seeds rather than insects. The main cause of the linnet decline is thought to be changes in agricultural practices, including the use of herbicides and fertilisers, the reduction in farm diversity caused by intensification and farm specialisation, and the sowing of crops in the autumn rather than the spring, which results in the loss of winter stubbles, valuable sources of food for the linnet. In addition, suitable nesting habitat has been lost as a result of hedge, scrub and thicket removal, over-zealous hedge trimming and over-grazing. However, recent research suggests that linnets in some areas have begun feeding on the seeds of oilseed rape, which may help to stem the decline in future."
http://www.arkive.org/linnet/cardueli...

Linnet ~ Carduelis cannabina:
https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoveranden...

Linnet call & song:
   • LINNET SONGS MP3  

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