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.

  • Paul sent this email into the Birds inbox:

    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.

  • Marilyn S sent this email into the Birds mailbox:

    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.

  • Helen & Simon sent this information into the Birds inbox;

    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.

    Other regular visitors are great tits, coal tits, an occcasional willow tit, long tailed tits, dunnocks, chaffinches, the occasional male and female green finch, blackbirds, robins, goldfinches and wood pigeons. Fantastic entertainment!!

  • Barrie sent this email into the Birds mailbox:

    Bullfinch used to be only an occasional visitor to our garden in suburban Leicester, but from May 2008 birds became regular.  At first I noticed them several times each week but from mid 2009 I have recorded them daily ( without exception ).  Weekly maximum seen at any one time usually between 4 and 7, as reported to BTO Weekly Garden Birdwatch. Newly hatched young noted as late as September.  

    An interesting observation is the marked preference which the bullfinches have for nyger seed over either mixed seed or sunflower hearts/seed.  To allow the bullfinches access to the nyger I have to use feeders with large ports rather than the type with small ports designed to attract goldfinches etc

  • Roy sen this email into the Birds mailbox;

    We have been lucky in the last two years being able to see two Bullfinches together. They feed on Premium Sunflower Hearts from the guarded feeder.  We have not seen them use the fat feeder yet.

    However they visit the bird bath from time to  time (fresh water every day also it is cleaned daily)  They are reluctant to use the slate covered bird table for some reason.  Same food.