New York Vinkensport

I've been hoping to see a chaffinch to photograph since I read about a man attempting to smuggle thirty-five finches into the US from Guyana. They were stuffed into hair rollers and hidden in his jacket and around his ankles, poor things. 

Last time I broached this subject on blip I wrote this: Cock chaffinches sing over and over again to attract females and secure territory. The song is driven by testosterone. Finch sport or vinkensport,  competitions to establish the bird which sings the most times in an hour, were started by Flemish merchants in 1596. They used to blind the birds with hot needles as they sing better and more frequently when not distracted. :( Today they're kept in dark boxes. Not my idea of sport.

It is believed that the smuggled birds were destined for singing competitions which take place in New York parks. A lot of money is made from betting on these.