Bramfield Finches And Friends

A beautifully sunny day so Ollie dog and I decided to make the most of it and went to Bramfield church near Hertford to see if we could spot the hawfinches that have been seen there. I got a distant shot of one when I visited in 2017. 

We arrived at eleven, just as the service was starting. The sound of hymns being sung gave our visit a pleasant ambiance. It was nice to see serious birder and great photographer Stuart Fox, who we met in 2020 when we were shooting the osprey. Ollie took to him and sat on his feet.

The hawfinch is the UK's largest finch. It has a massive powerful bill, its Greek scientific name means kernel shatterer. The bill can exert pressure of 150 pounds per square inch, meaning that it can easily crack fruit stones. This shy elusive bird keeps to the top of the trees and is in decline so it was a privilege to see it.

While we were looking for hawfinches we also saw a greenfinch, top left, and a pair of chaffinches, right. A hawfinch weighs twice as much as a chaffinch. The other bird in my montage is a redwing enjoying the yew berries. I've added an image of a lovey-dovey pair of jackdaws to extras.