23 Saturday Jan 2021
Tags
birding, birdwatching, Bramble seeds, British birds, bullfinch, Bullfinch eating Bramble seeds, female Bullfinch
At this time of year, I often see Bullfinches on Bramble bushes, nibbling on the seeds of those desiccated fruits that weren’t consumed by the berry loving birds in the autumn. This female was feasting happily close to one of the paths at Cosmeston last Monday.
09 Thursday Apr 2020
I caught this gorgeous male Bullfinch nibbling all the new buds off the shrubs and trees in his little territory in a local park. He must’ve been hungry as he ignored me for about five minutes, as he hopped from branch to branch and I moved back and forth in front of the bushes, trying to get a clear shot of him.
All of a sudden, he froze as if he had only just noticed me, and, rather cutely, looked as if he was trying to hide in plain sight, behind some rather thin twigs.
Unfortunately, this Bullfinch appears to have a problem with its legs and claws, which were covered in scaly growths. There are a couple of possible causes for this (see BTO article here). Some birds seem able to cope with these diseases better than others: I did wonder if this bird’s legs were hurting though, as it seemed to hunker down quite often, and that certainly wasn’t because of the cold.
05 Thursday Jul 2018
Tags
birding, birdwatching, blackbird, British birds, bullfinch, Carrion crow, Collared dove, garden birds, Goldfinch, Great spotted woodpecker, Woodpigeon
My friend Sharon has a lovely garden: an area of lawn bordered by flowers, shrubs and hedge; a separate area for growing vegies, the glasshouse and the beehives; and a lovely little bit of wild woodland at the end. It’s a paradise for birds, particularly because Sharon also has lots of feeders that she keeps stocked up with seeds of various kinds and suet blocks. As a person who lives in a first-floor flat with no garden, I just love visiting Sharon’s garden. I could sit watching the birds all day long.
My photos show just a few of the birds that entertained us yesterday – and these 14 species are not the only birds that visit: House sparrow, Blue tit, Great tit, Collared dove, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Carrion crow, Great spotted woodpecker, Magpie, Robin, Dunnock, and Blackbird.
The Great spotted woodpeckers have been bringing their offspring to the garden this year
The Woodpigeon doesn’t look too happy about the Carrion crow being so close
A Blackbird with an odd beak
‘This is ours’, squawked the Goldfinch to the Bullfinch, but …
… the Bullfinch won out on the day!
A beautiful Collared dove
28 Thursday Dec 2017
Tags
birding, birdwatching, British birds, brown rat, bullfinch, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Fieldfare, Great spotted woodpecker, long-tailed tit, Marsh tit, nuthatch, Stonechat, Tufted duck
It was fairly quiet bird-wise on my first monthly visit to Cosmeston Lakes Country Park on 2 December, though there were still good numbers of the various thrushes (Mistle, Song, Redwing and Blackbird) around. A Great spotted woodpecker in the west paddock was a nice surprise – I initially thought it a Jay when I saw that peachy belly. The Tufted ducks amused, as always, and, while I sat watching them, the Brown rat I’d seen before at that particular spot came snuffling around for food. There were two more rats foraging by the boardwalk near the café.
It’s a thrush takeover! On 6 December, I’d scarcely left the house to walk to Cosmeston than I was spotting Redwings, Song thrushes, and a Mistle thrush, plus Goldfinches and Chaffinches, in the trees just across the road. And when I got to Cosmeston it was more – much more – of the same, plus the first Fieldfares I’ve seen there. In Cogan Wood, the little birds were hungry so I shared my flapjack with them – there were even two Nuthatches and a half dozen Long-tailed tits picking up the crumbs on the ground. And the prize for the most colourful birds goes to the pair of Bullfinch that were munching on hogweed seeds.
On 15 December, I finally got a reasonable, though not brilliant photo of a Fieldfare – they are very skittish so it’s hard to get close to them. I finally found a spot behind the berry trees they were feasting in, then just had to be patient and wait for one to pop up to the top of a tree.
In Cogan Wood, one of the resident Marsh tits popped out to say hello – first sighting I’ve had since earlier in the year as they seem to disappear during the breeding season. And there was a Stonechat at the top end of the west paddock. There had been a pair of Stonechats in that area in the autumn but they seemed to have disappeared when the park staff mowed that field, so it was good to see one there again.
Something else happened at Cossie during this visit, something that’s never happened to me before. A squirrel climbed up my leg, not once but four times – the first time it grabbed my finger, the second time it touched my camera. I didn’t have food but it obviously thought I did. It certainly made me laugh.
07 Thursday Dec 2017
Tags
birding, birdwatching, British birds, bullfinch, dunnock, Forest Farm, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Kingfisher, long-tailed tit, Moorhen, robin, treecreeper
I had a meeting at Forest Farm last Friday so, of course, I took the opportunity while I was there to have a wander around the trails and along the Glamorganshire Canal. And it was wonderful, though I did come away feeling a little guilty. We’d had a week of low temperatures, with overnight frosts, and there was a bitterly cold wind blowing. It was obvious the wee birds were cold and hungry but I hadn’t taken any seed with me. Here are a Long-tailed tit, a male Bullfinch, a Dunnock, a Robin and a Great tit.
The water of the canal was sheltered from the breeze and very still, making for some stunning reflections (thank you little Moorhen). And I was treated to excellent views of a female Kingfisher, who sat for at least 15 minutes on her branch. From the way her feathers were fluffed up and she was hunched over her ‘toes’, I figure she was feeling the cold as well.
The Great spotted woodpecker was a treat, as were the Treecreepers – at least four of them, perhaps a family group, were actively scuttling up the branches in one small area by the canal. It was a grand day – my meeting went well and the birding was even better than expected!
08 Sunday Oct 2017
What a dapper fellow this male Bullfinch is, with his apricot-coloured waistcoat, grey jacket, black bowler and tails! The female, shown below, is elegant in a more understated way (I’ve yet to get good close photos of her).
Sadly, despite its good looks, the Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) has been much persecuted by humans due to its preference for devouring the buds of trees, particularly tasty fruit trees, in the springtime. According to Buczacki’s Fauna Britannica, ‘As long ago as 1566, an Act of Parliament allowed for one penny to be offered for “everie Bulfynche or other Byrde that devoureth that blowth of Fruite”.’ And according to the BTO website, the number of wild birds was further depleted in Victorian times because people preferred to admire the Bulfinch’s gorgeous plumage in cages rather than in woodlands.
However, these factors are not the reason for the bird’s declining numbers – there was a sharp decline in the late 1970s, which has upturned slightly since 2000, but is still 36% lower than in 1967. That decline is thought to be a result of decreasing biodiversity in woodlands and of the negative effects of agricultural intensification. I haven’t been able to find any more recent population figures but let’s hope the Bullfinch recovers. What a loss that apricot waistcoat would be!
05 Saturday Mar 2016
Posted in birds, nature, nature photography
Tags
birding, birds, birdwatching, blackbird, Blue tit, British birds, bullfinch, dunnock, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, Great tit, robin, thrush
In spite of occasional hail showers and a biting cold wind, yesterday was another magical day at Forest Farm Nature Reserve. I was serenaded by robins, I laughed at the antics of the cute little blue tits, was entertained by the thrushes and blackbirds performing acrobatic stunts in search of the tastiest ivy berries, and enjoyed the most wonderful privilege of a great tit perching on my hand to eat the seeds I was offering. Here are a few of my photos.
A little timid, often overlooked, but very lovely dunnock
Both the thrush (above) and blackbird (below) were feasting on ivy berries
A great tit
Always so cute, a little blue tit
A male bullfinch – such stunning colours
No visit to Forest Farm is complete without a robin or twenty!
19 Friday Feb 2016
Posted in birds, nature, nature photography
Tags
birding, birds, birdwatching, blackbird, Blue tit, British birds, bullfinch, chaffinch, dunnock, Forest Farm Nature Reserve, little grebe, long-tailed tit, nuthatch, robin, wren
Many birders ignore what they consider the ordinary birds, the backyard birds, in favour of the rare and unusual. To me, that’s a bit like only being interested in famous movie stars and ignoring all the supporting actors, the bit players, the extras. I adore all birds but I am particularly charmed by the ordinary birds – every day they make me laugh and smile, their gorgeous colours and intricate plumage delight my eye, their melodies are better than any man-made music. So, for me, yesterday was another magical day with these beautiful extra-ordinary birds at Forest Farm Nature Reserve.
a male bullfinch, such a handsome chap
a little wren foraging in the undergrowth
another handsome fellow, a male chaffinch
Mr Blackbird keeping an eye on me
a dunnock – such a darling!
one of the cutest of them all, a blue tit
Mr Greedy, the nuthatch
a Little grebe is well camouflaged amongst the reeds
another cutie pie, a long-tailed tit
no day’s birding would be complete without a robin or three
earthstar 
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