Bullfinches

The bullfinches that visit our garden fascinate me because of the obvious closeness of the pair bond. It is in fact very unusual indeed for only one bird of the pair to appear, even in the height of the nesting season. The bright and colourful male is a bolder bird than his partner, although both can be fairly timid and wary as they come to the feeders. Earlier in the year I noted that the female only used to fat-ball feeder, which the male never visited. The pair I'm now seeing regularly may of course not be the same pair as then, but assuming they are the same birds, the female now generally takes sunflower kernels, as does the male. The other day I noted that the male had obviously finished feeding, but took a prominent perch on the top of the feeding station, later moving onto a slightly higher branch nearby, keeping watch until his mate had finished. Once she had indicated she was ready to leave, they flew promptly away together.