A Brambling Carpet

We went back to Lynford Arboretum last week to try and see the Hawfinch and were lucky to get good views of two birds but they were just too far away to even get a record shot. 

We did find an area with ground food and feeders with about 20 to 30 male & female Bramblings, I've never seen so many Bramblings in one place at once. Not the best of pictures as it was gloomy and zoomed to the limit of my little camera.

This one with a coal tit.

In another area we saw BT, GT, CT & LTT with a Nuthatch and Marsh Tit.

  • Nice mixture of males and females. I haven't seen any Bramblings this year.
    On the two occasions that I've been to Lynford Arboretum there have always been a gang of blokes with huge lenses mounted on large tripods peering over that gate into someone's back garden and they wouldn't shift. Although I had glimpses of Hawfinch I never got a shot.

    PS I did see Crossbills there so that was a bonus

  • Nice to see so many.
    I haven't seen any at all this year although records suggest a few at least are around.
  • The Brambling were in that exact space Tony, but thankfully all the guys with big lens were at the end of the Arboretum trying to get pictures of the Hawfinch. We did see Crossbill in flight & calling but no pics
  • What a treat to see this group of Bramblings; our local reserve had 50 or 60 last year but maximum I've seen this year was around half a dozen. Good luck getting chance to photograph a Hawfinch or Crossbill.
  • Thanks all, I'm beginning to think I need to go back to a DSL with a long lens. My Panasonic TZ90 is great to stick in a pocket but for long shots it does loose a lot of definition and not easy to quickly zoom and focus on birds. I went compact for the long trips away we've done over the past few years rather than carry a big DSLR & lens. As well as bins I often carry a scope & tripod so again the compact camera helps weight wise. getting old with aches and pains does not help.
    I only discovered the arboretum about 3 weeks ago, been a good site & walk.
  • Fabulous to see your photos Tony. They say it's a really good year for Bramblings and your pictures bear
    this out! I can quite understand the temptation to go back and get even closer photos. I'm lucky enough to be
    getting quite a few this year in my back garden. One or two of them come onto the feeders close to the window but most of them seem to prefer to feed on the ground mopping up the spilt sunflower hearts. I sprinkle some down for them now, but it's so difficult to get good group photos as they are forever getting spooked and don't stay still for long!
  • Fantastic photos, Tony! I saw my first brambling ever last weekend, at Lackford Lakes in West Suffolk. Lovely little birds. I adore your shots of the nuthatch, too. One of my very favourites.