Winter flocks

With a task to do this afternoon, I didn't have time to go out and do a long distance twitch. Herts bird club did put up though that there was a reasonable sized flock of brambling in a field near Bramfield, which also has hawfinches in the churchyard.A local trip out seemed like the order of the day therefore. Despite awful traffic getting past St. Albans I got to Bramfield about 8.30. It wasn't totally clear where the field was but I drove down what seemed the right one and I did come across Bramfield wood and a set-aside field opposite it.

It was actually a scrubby field with old brassicas and weeds growing in it - ideal habitat for finch flocks!!! After a quick coffee I wandered into the field. It was initially quite quiet and I wondered if I had the right field. Eventually though you started to see a few small birds flying around. Finally a small flock lifted out of the field and settled in a tree a couple of hundred yards away on the far side. Through my bins I could see a lot were linnets but you could also see the distinctive patterns of both male and female brambling mixed in with them.

Male brambling have a smart black/ grey head, like a few in the middle photo. Females are more like a washed-out chaffinch, in this lower photo. I spent about an hour there, but the flock was always very skittish, not helped by the wind and a couple of dog walkers and they never really settled for any better photos. A judicious application of bird seed might help if you really wanted close-ups!! I did find a few yellowhammers mixed in as well to add to the year list.
After that I moved the mile or so to the church in the village. I did go here in the first week of January to get the hawfinches but a combination of bonfires and torn g wind meant I got really poor views. This time I had the churchyard pretty much to myself but the birds still didn't want to play ball. Initially all I got was a nuthatch staking out his territory from a suitable nest hole in one of the trees.

Finally a larger bird alighted in one of the pollarded trees and you could see it was a female hawfinch. Look at the size of that beak! No wonder they are likened to mini parrots!!!

I eventually got about 5 or 6 flying around but they never settled in view. Still , nice to see them carrying on with their influx this Winter. Would be great if some decided to stay and nest locally.