Well, thank you to all 3 of you (mum, dad and my brother?) for voting in the poll... Either nobody is reading my blog (most likely explanation) or you all have better things to do than vote in a crumby bird quiz on the internet..!
In any case nobody got it right. The bird is a TWITE. These are northern birds that breed at high elevations in northern and western Scotland, northern England, Scandinavia and elsewhere with mountain ranges (Turkey, Caucasus etc). They come down to sea level in winter to feed, usually on coastal salt-marshes or dunes systems. Very much like a LINNET, its much commoner relative, but with generally whiter underparts, a yellow bill in winter, an unmarked throat and a buffy-orange face (as opposed to a greyish face in Linnet). The tail of the Twite is also longer and more deeply forked. Perhaps the most obvious difference, although sometimes difficult to see, is the pink rump of adult Twite. This can be frustratingly difficult to see, with the rump often covered by wing feathers, but it is a diagnostic feature. In Denmark these birds are winter visitors, usually in small to medium sized flocks along the northern and eastern coasts.
The photos above are of two different individials in the same flock.
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