Three Counties Wildlife: Finches...

Monday, 20 November 2017

Finches...

2017 will be remembered by birders for many things, not least the current Hawfinch invasion that's taking place throughout the country due to a shortage of food in other parts of Europe. Hawfinches are an impressive species, our largest finch. These normally scarce, shy species are appearing anywhere and everywhere at the moment, including around the village where I live. I'm still seeing one bird fairly regularly in the mornings as it pitches-up on top of a tree at the rear of the house before calling and departing to wherever it's feeding during the day. Despite extensive searching, I haven't found out where that is yet.

Hawfinch, Whitestaunton: R Harris

You can never have enough of a good thing, so I went to see the half-a-dozen or so Hawfinches at Shute Church near Axminster just across the Devon border on Saturday morning too. Unfortunately they didn't show well enough for decent photos while I was there but on a walk by the sea with Jacob at Seaton Hole we saw this lovely Little Egret on the edge of the beach. I can remember when these were rare visitors to the UK and I twitched my first at Sutton Bingham Reservoir in the early 80's!

Little Egret, Seaton Hole: R. Harris

And it looks like we are experiencing the same phenomenon with other species too. A drive around the Blackdown Hills over the weekend produced around 100 Brambling! In recent years we have struggled to find more than half-a-dozen among the local Chaffinch flocks but this year is a complete reversal of fortunes.

Brambling: R. Harris

It looks like the weather is going to change a little this week and become wetter and windier but the recent prolonged dry spell has been very welcome and has certainly brought some beautiful November days for a change.