Goldfinches go beak to beak as they fight over birdseed in the snow.
The colourful little birds were visiting a back garden near Stavanger, Norway, and became embroiled in a series of arguments after discovering seed scattered on the ground.
These photos were captured by keen amateur photographer Filip Blaauw, 38, in his back garden.
Mr Blaauw, a TV producer, has been studying the goldfinches' behaviour for the last couple of winters as the flock became...
more »Goldfinches go beak to beak as they fight over birdseed in the snow.
The colourful little birds were visiting a back garden near Stavanger, Norway, and became embroiled in a series of arguments after discovering seed scattered on the ground.
These photos were captured by keen amateur photographer Filip Blaauw, 38, in his back garden.
Mr Blaauw, a TV producer, has been studying the goldfinches' behaviour for the last couple of winters as the flock became regular visitors to the feeding station at the rear of his home.
He said: "Little by little I started to feed at a smaller and smaller spot to be able to concentrate the flock as they came to feed.
"My goal was to photograph the interaction between the birds, as they often are a bit aggressive towards each other. You would see them hovering in the air beak to beak, and calling towards each other.
"When it started snowing, I moved all the food on to the ground and put out my photohide tent. By lying down and getting my lens as low as possible, I was able to get a clean background and snow in the foreground. It sure is a waiting game.
"The action happens so quickly that even the best autofocus systems struggle to keep up. I usually set my shutter speed to at least 1/2000 of a second to be able to freeze their movement, or even higher if the light is good.
"You have to be quick, because the fighting never lasts long. I guess they quickly figure out who is the strongest individual and who gets to eat first.
"It is simply a little measure of who is biggest and loudest, and they each find their own little seed to feed on.
"Not only have they been fighting each other, but also with greenfinches. The greenfinch is a bit bigger, and often manages to hold off the goldfinches if they start to argue.
"I am no ornithologist but I believe in my pictures there is a mix of both genders."
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