Monday 19 June 2017

Bullfinches

Bullfinches in my garden today.  Father flew to the feeding station, and began to feed on sunflower seeds. Young one followed him, and perched on the top of the feeding station, making piteous noises. Young bullfinches have to same coloration, more or less, as the mother, but without the black cap. Mother then duly appeared, and joined father in feeding. Junior continued to cry. A second male appeared, and was immediately chased away by father. He had another try, and was again repulsed. Meanwhile, junior flew to the bars of our squirrel-proof feeder (the only seed feeder we use through the summer, along with a feeder stocked with fat chunks, very popular just now with the young blue tits), and tried fluttering his wings, only to receive a very stern "Gertcha!" from father, who went back to stuffing his own crop. I imagine junior is exactly that, the last one of the brood not to have cut the apron strings, and needing to be taught that now it's sink or swim.

The other male reappeared, flew straight at the feeders, thought better of it and veered past, to perch on our ornamental hawthorn. I thought he's head for the cherry, where our bullfinch pair spent a happy evening yesterday, along with sundry blackbirds, picking off the ripening berries. But no, back again he flew, and this time father decided to do some serious seeing off, so they both disappeared, with mother soon following.

That left junior, who sat on the top of the feeding station for a while longer, then descended to feed on the ground underneath, seeing off a rather handsome male chaffinch in the process - which suggests that he's got a bit about him, after all. But he certainly hasn't got the hang of the feeder. He did have a go, but then a big family party of blue tits appeared, and he couldn't compete. I was watching all this from our potting shed cum summer house, just a couple or three yards away. Who needs the soaps?

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