A fall of finches

No shortage of bird action round here in the last week or so, just very little time to write about it!

Chaffinches have been off my radar for a few months but made a sudden reappearance last Thursday (14^th) in Hilly Fields Park. During a breezy mid-afternoon walk I spotted a small flock as they flew over the crest of the hill before taking shelter among the branches of some nearby trees. Those were soon followed by a half a dozen Greenfinches and Goldfinches. All of a sudden finches had taken over!

Now it’s certainly not unusual to see these three species here but their sudden appearance together was notable. Although populations remain in the UK all year round, certain birds migrate abroad in the spring to breed. As such, I think these may have been a mixed flock of migrating birds returning from breeding seasons in Europe and Scandinavia.

With Greenfinch populations (and to a lesser extent Chaffinch) thought to be at risk due to the effects of the trichomonosis disease, seeing good numbers is an encouraging sign. Curious about these sudden arrivals I checked out the BTO website and lo, one of the foremost entries highlighted the “impressive” nationwide movement of common species such as finches in the last week!