This is a beautiful European Goldfinch that was photographed in my garden on February 25, 2015. The European Goldfinch is found throughout Britain and migrates in September and October to spend the winter in mainland Europe. I reported this rare bird sighting to the Ornithology Collection Manager of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles and this was his reply to me: "This is one of many non-native species we’re trying to keep track of, so it’s great to have the photos and data. European Goldfinches have bred sporadically, but they don’t seem (yet) to have established any persisting populations. However, all naturalized populations start out small, so it’s always good to have the information."

European Goldfinchgoldfinch