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30-05-2007, 05:05 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Coventry
Posts: 6,015
| | | My very first Bullfinch in my garden
I have just got home from work and as I looked through the kitchen window a beautiful male Bullfinch landed on the feeding station nearest my bungalow. What a cracker and what a surprise.
I hope it isn't the last time he visits and I certainly hope if he visits again he will stay long enough for me to get a photo.
I thought I had lost all the Bullfinches near to me when a large area of scrub, bushes and trees were destroyed two years ago. Prior to then I used to get Bullfinches in the bushes near our garden but since then I haven't seen one.
Sorry for going on but this means a lot to me as this is a bird I have always wanted as a garden visitor.
John |
30-05-2007, 05:08 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kent
Posts: 1,559
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
I hope you get a Photo 
I haven;t seen a bullfinch for a few years, they use to be really common when i was growing up.. Its odd how many childhood birds that were really common and we took for granted, you now hardly ever see 
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Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. |
30-05-2007, 05:11 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Leicestershire
Posts: 4,284
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
I can understand your excitement John, I have a bit of a thing for bullfinches as well, mainly because I see them so infrequently. I would love to get them visiting my garden.
Matt |
30-05-2007, 06:45 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Coventry
Posts: 6,015
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
The male has come back three times in the last 90 minutes. I'm waiting for the female now, then the chicks. Am I being greedy?  |
30-05-2007, 07:26 PM
|  | Active Member | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: near Cambridge
Posts: 1,095
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
I'm so pleased for you John. It's particularly pleasing to see so much enthusiasm for a bird such as a Bullfinch from someone so well travelled and with such an impressive list of sightings, including many rarities.
Such sightings on your home patch are always a thrill and I do hope you get your photos
Jeff |
30-05-2007, 07:42 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 29
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Fantastic! My first bullfinches arrived last year and I was (still am) as delighted as you clearly are. |
30-05-2007, 07:45 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: N.E. Derbyshire
Posts: 1,728
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Hi
lucky you , must me nice to look out from your window and see them
Would be nice to get the family.Fingers crossed.
neil |
30-05-2007, 07:46 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: East Kent
Posts: 1,498
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
How lovely, John. I saw one in my garden two days ago, only the second I've ever seen, and I sat with my mouth open, instead of grabbing my camera, he was so pretty.
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. |
30-05-2007, 08:07 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Coventry
Posts: 6,015
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffH  I'm so pleased for you John. It's particularly pleasing to see so much enthusiasm for a bird such as a Bullfinch from someone so well travelled and with such an impressive list of sightings, including many rarities.
Such sightings on your home patch are always a thrill and I do hope you get your photos
Jeff | Well he came back at 8:20pm and stayed long enough for these shots. Not brilliant due to the low light conditions but I am happy as I could be. I have seen my first garden Bullfinch and now I have photographed him as well.    
Now for the family.
John |
30-05-2007, 08:13 PM
|  | Knight Grand Cross of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Nottingham
Posts: 11,905
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Excellent shots John! I'm chuffed you've got them at last. When you've finished with them, can you direct them my way please! |
30-05-2007, 08:18 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Small North Lincolnshire village
Posts: 6,854
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
I am so pleased for you John, what a great bird to have visiting the garden. If I see four Bullfinches a year around me I am lucky and certainly not in my garden. Great photos you managed as well.
Roger |
30-05-2007, 08:34 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Coventry
Posts: 6,015
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Quote:
Originally Posted by glsammy Excellent shots John! I'm chuffed you've got them at last. When you've finished with them, can you direct them my way please! | No chance.
I'm keeping him here, all to myself.
John |
30-05-2007, 08:37 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Greater Manchester
Posts: 2,929
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Excellent photos John and what a lovely suprise for you. I do hope they keep returning for you.
The male bullfinch has started visiting me regularly this week as well. Last evening the female came but she didn't eat but the male is making up for that. This morning I went into my hide before work, set my camera up and then went to check a feeder when I walked back to the hide I turned around and there was the male chomping away on blacksunflower he was only about 10ft away from me but didn't seem bothered at all. Like you I do hope the youngsters come, now that would be great |
30-05-2007, 09:13 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: near Cambridge
Posts: 1,095
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Excellent shots John - I'm even more pleased for you now. Bring on the family
Jeff |
31-05-2007, 06:21 AM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Coventry
Posts: 6,015
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Well he has just dropped onto the feeder at 07:10am today so obviously he is impressed with the Sunflower Hears I have on offer.
The thing is I have four feeder stations in my garden. One in the front garden that can only be watched from the bedroom. One in the side garden that I can't really watch unless I open the door to the garden, one at the back of the garden (40+ feet away and one about 15 feet from the window by the side of the computer and it is that feeder he has chosen to use.
That is the only one I can regularly watch so he has certainly chosen the right one for me.
I noticed him at the last minute and only had time for a couple of shots through the window. This is the best one. 
John |
31-05-2007, 07:28 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Little village called Chedworth
Posts: 4,828
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kymba I hope you get a Photo
I haven;t seen a bullfinch for a few years, they use to be really common when i was growing up.. Its odd how many childhood birds that were really common and we took for granted, you now hardly ever see | My understanding is that as these birds eat flower buds off fruit trees, they develop quite a strong association with orchards (much to orchard keepers dismay) and the overal decline in orchard nationally (but particularly in your neck of the woods) has not help bullfinch numbers at all, I think its considered one of the factors that have caused the decline in this species but the full reasons are not properly known.
Bullfinches have declined by 57% between 1970 and 2004 and they are sadly still declining with -26% change between 1994 and 2005.
I love them because I am always amazed how such a brightly coloured bird can be so hard to see, and how the best way to find them is to listen for their almost whispered song and calls..... I hope they recover to better numbers soon.....  |
31-05-2007, 07:28 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Willingham, Cambs
Posts: 1,129
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Lovely shots, John; and what a privilege to have your own personal bullfinch.
I agree that they are amazing birds, and I have been lucky enough to see them when out walking and in my son's garden in Swansea where he has two fairly resident pairs. I must ask him about chicks.
Colin |
31-05-2007, 08:38 AM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: N.E.SOMERSET
Posts: 6,667
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Excellent shots (as always)John,I have two males and a female
sitting out the rain in the Rowan in my garden as I type this
The pair have been around for a good while but I do not understand
the acceptence of another male unless it is a family member
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31-05-2007, 10:55 AM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Dundee
Posts: 221
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Many congrats on your new bullfinch I have a song thrush in the garden for the first time ever, so I spent the weekend trying to get pics of it. I'm still thinking, naah, it's a baby blackbird....but naaah, it is a different colour, has longer legs, big speckles....yeah! I managed to get a shot of it looking very disdainfully at a garden gnome, would upload it if my own PC was working (I'm in a library here)! |
31-05-2007, 06:58 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Coventry
Posts: 6,015
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Well thankfully he has come back tonight (inbetween the torrential rain and hail storms) so I hope he has become a long stayer.
John |
31-05-2007, 07:01 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Grimsby, Lincs
Posts: 1,573
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
Wonderful shots
I love Bullfinch pretty much for the same reasons as Gill, they are so brightly coloured yet almost impossible to see, especially during summer. |
10-06-2007, 02:44 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Coventry
Posts: 6,015
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
I hadn't seen the male Bullfinch since Monday night so I thought that it had gone but I was just looking out of my bedroom window at the front feeder station and there he was again, but with a bonus as he had brought his Mrs with him this time.
John |
11-06-2007, 06:03 AM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: near Cambridge
Posts: 1,095
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
I suspect you'll soon be hearing the patter of tiny feet John (or should that be the patter/flapping of tiny wings?)
Jeff |
11-06-2007, 06:42 AM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Coventry
Posts: 6,015
| | | Re: My very first Bullfinch in my garden
That would be great Jeff. Not quite in the calibre of your Kingfishers but it would be a magic moment for me if it did happen.
John | |
