I hope you enjoyed reading ‘Urban Birder’ David Lindo’s latest piece for Birds magazine on his encounters with bullfinches. If you haven’t read it yet, do turn to page 77 of the Spring 2012 issue.
We asked you to let us know about your own experiences with these chunky finches in the magazine, so I thought I’d share one of my experiences with bullfinches to help get things rolling.
It’s always nerve racking meeting your partner’s parents for the first time, but even more so when you make that first trip to go and stay at their house. Amidst desperately trying to avoid all those social faux pas and remembering my manners on that first weekend in Yorkshire, my eyes were drawn to the bird feeders hanging outside.
Remembering that it is probably quite rude to stare out of the window when I should be making that all important first impression, all hope went out the window (literally) when a rose-breasted vision of beauty dressed in a silver jacket dropped down onto one of the seed feeders: a bullfinch!
From that first encounter forth, it has always been a pleasure to go and visit my girlfriend’s parents, Sue and Graham, because up to two pairs of bullfinches are a near constant presence in both front and back gardens. I should also state that it is also a pleasure to visit Sue and Graham because they are sparkling company and excellent hosts. The finches are merely a bonus! Waking up to the finches’ soft ‘peeuh’ calls outside the window is a very pleasant experience indeed. They are often the first birds I see each day.
As David says in his feature, bullfinches are sadly so much rarer now, making sightings like these even more precious.
Does your home for nature, include a place for bullfinches?
What do your bullfinches do?I’m not lucky enough to have bullfinches coming to my feeders in my garden, but it would be great to hear from anyone who does. Please let us know by posting a comment below (you’ll need to register on the RSPB Community first), or emailing Nature's Home magazine at natureshome@rspb.org.uk and I'll add your stories to the blog.
I have been feeding the birds in my garden for years and love watching them. I have many species that come and go. I have a daily visit of bullfinches. Two females and one male today. Don t know what has happened to the other male! Their favourite food is black sunflower seeds. Nicola Waring, Bolton
Over the last 4 years the number of Bullfiches visiting our garden has increased. This winter the maximum counts at any one time have increased to 8 males and 7 females. In the Autrumn there was a maximum count of 7 juveniles. I would estimate there are at least 5 pairs in the area. They love Black Sunflower seed. I have two seed feeders loaded with sunflower seed and one has a larger mesh than the other and it is apparent that the Bullfiches will only take seed from feeder with the larger mesh. They actually prefer taking seed from the ground or the birdtable but when I put seed out in this manner it just attracts up to 6 Grey Squirrels. Locally there are two groups of Bullfinch in the local countryside but the maximum count in these groups has only reached 5. This is on the Wirral. Paul
I have seen four male bullfinches together in my garden within the last month and just today there have been two males and a female. Most days at least one male will turn up. I have found they are very fond of sunflower hearts. There have been at least four youngsters fledged during the Summer. While out walking my dog today I saw another female in the hedgerow. Marilyn Simmons, St Austell, Cornwall
We have recently moved to Milverton In Somerset. Mid December bullfinches started visiting our bird table - we have seen two males and three females together. They are now regular feeders and never seem to be far away. When on the table the female is really quite agressive towards the males, not letting them anywhere near the food, yet seems to be quite happy to share with the bluetits. The table is about 3 feet away from our door (excellent viewing) and one of the males must have seen his own reflection one day and thought it was another male. The attached photo shows him 'having a go' ..... at himself. We hope that they will continue to visit us and bring their young too. Helen & Simon
We have had a pair of Bullfinches visiting our garden in Exeter for about eight years. I say about eight as they didn't turn up one year. Initially they only turned up in early spring and fed on the plum tree buds. In the past two years they have enjoyed the earlier appearance of the buds and begun to experiment with the seed, suet stick and suet block feeders. They arrived this season in mid-December and turn up two to three times a week. We have a feeder on the kitchen window which is used by robins, great,blue and coal tits and sometimes by nuthatches. The female bullfinch has perched in the branches about a metre away from the window feeder and looked, (enviously -?) at the feasters. Anthony Blenkinsopp.
We have so far seen 4 male and 3 female bullfinches in our fruit trees. We first noticed them a few weeks ago, but now our garden seems to have become a favourite feeding place. I had only ever seen a bullfinch once before and that was quite a few years ago! So we are just enjoying watching them but hoping that they leave a few buds so we can enjoy the fruit in the summer. Sue H
I have a pair of bullfinches which come on the feeders in the garden , and have been doing so for at least a year. This winter another pair arrived , and and all feed together .Stunning colours on the males. I am in High Peak. John
Since buying the RSPB birdfeeder in December 2010, I have had plenty of bullfinches as well as many other finches in my garden! I have attached some photos of bullfinches, and also greenfinches, which often come in small flocks. I also have goldfinches and many chaffinches, and the latter collect in groups under the feeder to catch what the other birds drop. I live next to a large field, and also have trees, hedges and wooded areas near my house. Mary Thompson
David Lindo will be pleased to learn that, here, in semi-suburban Buckinghamshire, we have been entertained and delighted by a pair of bullfinches for the past eight months or so. They are regular visitors to our bird feeder and the male provides a welcome flash of colour on these gloomy winter days. They nested, bred and had a youngster but it disappeared and we suppose that it did not survive. We hope that they will remain with us throughout 2012 as well!
Jim Ballantyne, Chalfont St. Peter