Finch Fest at Little Cressingham 2 November 2024

 For me, this time of year sees me checking game strips and wide field margins for Finches and Buntings. These habitats provide good feeding for birds throughout the long winter months, seed spill and weed seeds being target foods.  

I chose a regular point to watch and count birds from, I had good views along a large game strip, fallow land, and weedy margins.  A hedgerow alongside the road provided birds with a quick place of safety and hedgerow trees were used as a gathering point for birds to watch their surroundings from.

The most numerous species was both Linnet (100+) and Chaffinches (100+), these birds were expected as the habitat provides good feeding.  Also noted within the large numbers of Finches was a single Brambling, although I suspect more may have been present.  Bramblings are winter visitors from Northern Europe, these are annual visitors on the patch in varying numbers, sometimes they are present in three figure counts.

Brambling (Male) A stunning Finch from Northern Europe)

Small numbers of Redwings and Song Thrushes (2) were seen.  I was able to scope a couple of Redwings, these are very attractive wintering Thrushes with a strong head pattern including a very conspicuous and bold supercillium and submoustachial stripe.

Whilst watching these birds I was ever mindful that a Sparrowhawk would turn up given the wealth of prey present.  The collective noise and 'putting up' of Finches told me that indeed a Sparrowhawk was in the area, with this, a female Sparrowhawk flew into a small tree not 30 feet from me, but rapidly departed as soon as it arrived.

With everything settling down it was the turn of larger birds like Crows and Pigeons to be on their highest guard when a Goshawk drifted passed and headed for woodland, a magnificent, powerful raptor.

Goshawk - 2 November (Crows give this raptor the highest respect)