The hawfinch is our largest finch and a magnificent bird to see – when you can see one. A shy and elusive bird it often just seems to melt into the wooded landscapes where it occurs.
It is a star species of the Sherwood Forest Futurescape, which is an important area for it in the Midlands. It likes well-wooded landscapes and certain tree species are important for it, notably hornbeam, yew and wild cherry – it feeds on their seeds. Its monster of a powerful bill can crack open a cherry stone. Parkland sites are especially favoured, and Nottinghamshire County Council’s Rufford Abbey Country Park and the National Trust’s Clumber Park are two of the most reliable sites to see hawfinches.
To help connect people with special species and the Sherwood Forest landscape, we have been running walks in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council. To give myself a challenge I decided to lead a hawfinch walk – taking 28 people to see Britain’s most elusive finch – no problem!
It was no problem – the assembled group were already watching a hawfinch with Gary Joynt, NCC Learning and Events Officer, when I arrived. It was perched atop one of the lime trees in the main car park – a favourite spot. Easy! After explaining about their status and habits we went on a walk through the woodland. By the ice house at least three hawfinches flew up and two gave good views in the tops of trees. It was an all singing and dancing display, as a male stayed perched allowing people views through my telescope and he started some singing. They’re more a looker than a singer – the song is a short, quiet jazzy jumble of ‘tic’ notes.
Hawfinch by ice house, Rufford Abbey CP, taken on the walk. Photo credit Ian Hurst.
Like my earlier blog about the willow tit, the hawfinch is a species that needs a landscape-scale approach to its conservation and it can be an example for us to explain that approach. It needs woodlands and parklands to be better and bigger. We are helping by our work on woodland management, see the earlier blog woodlands working for wildlife.
Some of the people on the walk checking the lime trees in the main car park for hawfinches. Photo credit Carl Cornish.
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