A Brief Visit from a Linnet?

Looking out of the kitchen window at breakfast time I spotted a sparrow size bird which didn't match any previous garden visitors. Grabbed a camera and managed a few rather grotty hurried shots as it wouldn't focus in just the correct place:





Looking through Collins Complete Guide to British Birds it seems to exactly match the description of a Summer Adult Male Linnet. If correct then it is a new garden visitor for me.

Linnet + Great Tit

While waiting for the microwave to strut its stuff I noticed a pair of birds land on the lawn. One, I assume the male, took off again almost immediately and all I got was a glimpse of some red. The female stayed for a couple of minutes helping herself to the seeds from a dandelion.





Having scoured my few bird books I am left with two possibilities. My favoured one is a Linnet with a slight possibility of it being a Twite but I think the red noticed on the male will probably cut that one out of the list.


My grateful thanks to Roy for identifying it as a female Linnet - a first for my garden.


As an extra - here is Papa (I think) Great Tit waiting for me to go away so he can take a meal to his babies in the nest box.