Eurasian Siskin

I visited Beppu Koen again on the next morning after I first found the Eurasian Siskins (Carduelis spinus). Everything was pretty much the same, except better! The sky was much clearer with no cloud at all, and the birds were unexpectedly tamer! I almost didn't have to crop all these images. Yesterday I met Furuso-san at Sekino-E in the evening, and she told me that even birders from Oita also came to photograph the Siskins here in Beppu as well. Don't know when will they continue their journey down south. I've got to take photos as much as I can for now.

Male Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus)

I noticed that some of the males have more yellow on the underparts ,while some have whiter with black streaks on the flanks. Don't know if it's a matter of age or breeding/non-breeding plumage, anyone? As I went through the photos I took in my computer, I realised that I took too many photos of the males, and much fewer of the females. I guessed it's simply because of the males' attractive yellow plumage. Below are some of the shots of the females (and juveniles?). I'm not sure about how to distinguish juvenile from female. Some of the birds seem to have much whiter underparts with less yellowish wash on the head. Are these juveniles?

Female and juvenile Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus)

I tried hard to take decent photos of them coming down to drink water from the pool, but they were so wary that I couldn't get any closer than roughly 15 metres. The above shots were my best, but they all need to be cropped. Before they come down to drink, they always gather together on the treetops. Watching them swirling through the air then rush down to the ground makes me feel very much enjoyed!