One of the loveliest sights you can see here at Bempton at the moment is that of large groups or 'charms' of goldfinch congregating on plant seed heads. On the reserve itself we have swathes of thistle heads that these colourful little birds seem to love. Neighbouring the reserve (and bordered by a public footpath) there is also a large field full of a bird seed crop, which includes sunflowers and kale. If you’re lucky, you might see a charm of up to 20 goldfinches at a time flying up out of this field and along the cliff top. As well as this, they also like to perch on our birdfeeders and pose for the CCTV camera, which you can watch on the screen in the visitor centre. They really are beautiful, colourful birds and in my opinion they deserve a bit of recognition in the winter for being so bright and cheerful looking!
The collective term for a group of goldfinch really suits them don’t you think? A few months ago now a gentleman brought me in a list of the collective names for a wide range of birds that can be seen or heard on our reserve. These included ‘a nid of pheasants’, ‘a strop of razorbills’ and ‘a clattering of jackdaws’ to name a few. There seems to be a bit of variation between sources for the actual definitive term for each group but most are quite entertaining anyway. I'm alwarys interested in quirky little things like this or interesting snippets of information so if there's anything you'd like to share then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Rachael Tulloch (Warden Intern, RSPB Fairburn Ings)