Hawfinch haven!!

 I am fortunate to live an hours drive from a known Hawfinch site,so am taking this opportunity to post my latest images of a few of the birds that I encountered.I found that an early start is a must to be in position for when the birds appear.Hawfinch are a notoriously shy bird,usually to be found foraging amongst the treetops.

 Here they have become accustomed to being left seed, by one of the staff, who works in the gardens.They are very wary when on the ground generally taking flight at the slightest alarm.The carpark area is where they gather, so providing you`re still and quiet, you can have them feeding within 6 metres of your vehicle.

On this occasion there were 4 birds present,3 males and a female.They are the largest of our finches by far, with the main features being their massive conical bill,large head,thick neck and short square tail, banded white.Supposedly 4-6000 pairs breed in Britain mainly in and around broad-leafed forest, especially with mixed Oak and Hornbeam.This particular site is becoming more and more popular with birders and photographers and I feel it will soon be lost to the public due to the amount of people visiting. Lets hope it can be enjoyed for years to come!!!!