Thursday 7 December 2017

Winter visitor

Our bird feeder is attracting lots of interest and not just the usual suspects. Apart from tits of all sizes, nuthatches, woodpeckers and various finches we were pleased to spot a brambling this morning. A species which spends its summers in Scandinavia and comes south for the winter. Probably more common in the UK than here, the brambling is a mid-sized finch with distinctive colour markings. Their preferred habitat is woodland, especially birch, but as seed eaters they are clearly attracted to our sunflower seeds, and may be just passing here to more productive areas. Having had daily visits from the hawfinch we would now like to see a bullfinch, so much scarcer here.

Brambling with siskin and blue tit.