Sizergh Hawfinches

Early one morning last week I stopped for a brief stay at Sizergh Castle on the southern edge of Cumbria. The car park at this picturesque site has become renowned for hosting good numbers of that rare beast of a finch; the Hawfinch. These monsters of the bird world are understandably a major draw for birdwatchers. They regularly feed in the trees and on the ground in the play area and, despite their reputation for being shy, can be seen quite well with a bit of patience.(the finches that is, not the birdwatchers!)
Unfortunately on my visit the light was very poor for photography, and I kept my distance so as not to disturb the birds as they fed on some seed that I had scattered on the ground. There was a good sized flock of common birds making the most of an easy feed; the flock was mostly composed of the Hawfinch's smaller relative the Chaffinch along with Blue, Great and Coal Tits and some stunning Bullfinches. Two different pairs of Hawfinch were seen but none were photographable until a female dropped on to the leaf litter to have a feed. The photographs are definitely "record" shots, but what stunning birds!

 

Llanbedr-y-Cennin

I broke my recent scarce bird dipping duck with, well, a duck! An American Wigeon to be precise. The bird was present on the saltmarsh pools at Neston, Wirral for a few days and gave reasonable 'scope views but was far too distant for photography. A visit to North Wales on Saturday also produced sightings of Hawfinch, so things are definitely on the up as far as birding is concerned. I arrived early in the morning by the small church in the village of Llanbedyr-y-Cennin in the beautiful Conway valley. No sooner had I left the car than I spotted a Hawfinch high in a leafless tree but it soon dived for cover in an adjacent Hornbeam. The sun was shining and I was happy to stand for a few hours as small parties of Hawfinch flitted through the trees uttering their sharp tack calls and occasionally flying overhead revealing broad white wingbars. I took some distant "record" shots of birds perched high in the trees, but managed some more acceptable photos of a bird on the ground feeding on a handout of seed.
After a pleasant lunch at Conway RSPB I drove home via Llanddulas beach were vast flocks of Common Scoter were 'scoped along with a few winter-plumaged Red-throated Divers and a pair of Goosander.
I ventured up to Blackpool yesterday to run the Blackpool Marathon. Conditions were excellent with blue skies and only a light breeze. As this was only a preparatory run for my attempt at the Manchester Marathon later this month I took it easy but steady, and despite a recent stomach bug, I crossed the finish line in 3 hours 12 minutes with plenty of running left in my legs. I even got a "year tick" during the race in the form of a Wheatear seen on the grassy slopes north of the tower. I celebrated at home later with a few well-deserved beers.

You might also like:

Marsh Tits at Leighton Moss

Short-eared Owl