Breckland Birder

Breckland Birder
Red Deer in Breckland, Norfolk Photo by Paul Newport

Sunday 14 January 2018

Hawfinches (30+) near Norwich, Norfolk

Another full day of work today.  Following on from yesterdays Hawfinch record near Norwich, I decided for my afternoon break from work to revisit the area.  I soon relocated Hawfinches, however, I did not expect to see 30+ birds, an incredible sight.
Hawfinch in Yew near Norwich, Norfolk 14/01/18
Given the shy nature of this species, I decided to sit under a large tree to watch the Hawfinches, the very poor light resulted in poor shots, therefore, I was content just to sit and watch the birds as any movement on my part would have disturbed the birds.
Hawfinch high in tree canopy near Norwich 14/01/18.
Most of the time, the Hawfinches were either seen flying between trees and sitting quietly high in the canopy, however, on one occasion, most of these birds descended into a nearby Yew where they consumed berries. 
Hawfinch near Norwich, Norfolk, 14/01/18
The light here was very poor resulting in poor photographs.  Despite the poor light, watching the Hawfinches through binoculars saw the following salient features:
A large, bull-necked Finch with an overall Pinkish-chestnut colour, a huge pale bill and thumb-nail shaped Black bib patch. Grey nape. White wing-bar, especially noticeable in flight, and a bold white tip to the tail.
This was my first observation of witnessing several Hawfinches feeding together, at times they demonstrated excellent acrobatic skills as they reached for berries.

In addition to the Hawfinches, the following was seen/heard, Stock Dove, 150+ Fieldfare, a few Redwings, 1 Goldcrest, Coal Tit (heard), Blue Tit, Jackdaw, Chaffinch, 10+ Greenfinches, and a single Siskin over.

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