New member here. Two days ago whilst birding in woodland in north london (Harrow Weald), I saw 3 birds in the canopy of a rowan tree. I had to contend with bright sunshine and the fact they were in and out of foliage, but saw one that looked finch sized, chestnutty brown with a yellow stripe on its wing. It also had a very fat beak. Looking through my bird books the closest I can come to is a hawfinch (too rare?) juvenile chaffinch (too small?) or female bullfinch (didn't see black head). The only other info was that the rowan berries had been deseeded and the flesh discarded. Sorry this is a vague and long winded description but any ideas would be much appreciated - Steve
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nrigby
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Re:Any ideas?? - 2006/07/30 20:41Hi Steve, welcome to the forum.
It sounds very much like a Hawfinch to me, although I've never seen before, the characteristics you describe seem to fit the bill.
The RSPB description is as follows and I've underlined the pertinent points:
Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes
The UK's largest finch, it has a massive, powerful bill. Always shy and difficult to see, the hawfinch has become even more enigmatic in recent years with a decline in many of its traditional breeding areas. Numbers are hard to determine, however, as hawfinches are easily overlooked, especially in summer.
Where does it live?
Breeding Nests in wooded areas, with a mixture of trees such as beech, hornbeam, wild cherry and oak.
Wintering Remains in mixed or broadleaved woodland but also feeds in suitable areas nearby, such as tall hedgerows with scattered trees, mature avenues of limes, beeches and other trees and even some large gardens; hornbeam is a favourite tree.
Where to see it Hawfinches are now mostly restricted to England in the UK, and have declined in many areas. Parts of western England near the Welsh Borders, the Home Counties and the south-east from Hampshire to Kent remain the most likely places to find them. They can occasionally be seen at RSPB nature reserves such as Nagshead, Gloucestershire and Blean Woods, Kent. Hawfinches may perch high in trees, but also feed on the ground and much more inconspicuously among the foliage.
What does it eat? Seeds, buds and shoots.
What does it sound like? A sharp, thin ticking call; song thin and wheezy. When to see it All year round; usually more easily seen outside the breeding season when trees are leafless and hawfinches feed more regularly on the ground.
Similar species Waxwing
Reserves
* Nagshead
Anyone else agree?
PS. There is a rather good photograph of a Hawfinch in the gallery
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a hawfinch was my initial thought, but knowing how difficult they are to see, and being a bird I assumed I never would, I didn't want to definately say it was that. I tried to find info about the deseeded berries but drew a blank. Anyone else come across these? For anyone interested, I have seen a lesser spotted woodpecker at the same woods last year. Just shows what's on your doorstep!
Steve
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If you want to look up Harrow Weald, visit the National Biodiversity Network at http://www.searchnbn.net/ and look up species groups recorded in the 10km Grid Square by searching for Harrow Weald.
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Translating the latin should keep me quiet for a while as well!
Steve
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HenHarrierHall
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Re:Any ideas?? - 2008/03/04 01:51nrigby wrote: Hi Steve, welcome to the forum.
It sounds very much like a Hawfinch to me, although I've never seen before, the characteristics you describe seem to fit the bill.
The RSPB description is as follows and I've underlined the pertinent points:
Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes
The UK's largest finch, it has a massive, powerful bill. Always shy and difficult to see, the hawfinch has become even more enigmatic in recent years with a decline in many of its traditional breeding areas. Numbers are hard to determine, however, as hawfinches are easily overlooked, especially in summer.
Where does it live?
Breeding Nests in wooded areas, with a mixture of trees such as beech, hornbeam, wild cherry and oak.
Wintering Remains in mixed or broadleaved woodland but also feeds in suitable areas nearby, such as tall hedgerows with scattered trees, mature avenues of limes, beeches and other trees and even some large gardens; hornbeam is a favourite tree.
Where to see it Hawfinches are now mostly restricted to England in the UK, and have declined in many areas. Parts of western England near the Welsh Borders, the Home Counties and the south-east from Hampshire to Kent remain the most likely places to find them. They can occasionally be seen at RSPB nature reserves such as Nagshead, Gloucestershire and Blean Woods, Kent. Hawfinches may perch high in trees, but also feed on the ground and much more inconspicuously among the foliage.
What does it eat? Seeds, buds and shoots.
What does it sound like? A sharp, thin ticking call; song thin and wheezy. When to see it All year round; usually more easily seen outside the breeding season when trees are leafless and hawfinches feed more regularly on the ground.
Similar species Waxwing
Reserves
* Nagshead
Anyone else agree?
PS. There is a rather good photograph of a Hawfinch in the gallery
why do you just copy and paste stuff from the rspb website ? do you not have your own birding knowledge ?
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