The Finch Rump Effect: Beyond Brambling

Brambling, Lambert's Castle, 17/02/2020 (Copyright T D Wright)

Brambling, Lambert's Castle, 17/02/2020 (Copyright T D Wright)

       What is it with finches and rumps? Over the years I've gotten to know the white rumps of Bullfinch, Arctic Redpoll and Brambling. Yellow rumps have featured recently with the Seaton Serin and occasional Siskin. Historically, I once witnessed the purplish rump of Twite in the Outer Hebrides. On Monday, however, I checked about 200 green rumps at Lambert's Castle! They belonged to the ubiquitous Chaffinches that seemed to love the beech mast they were sharing with Coal Tits and various other life forms. I had welcomed the kind offer of 2 local well-heeled ladies to accompany them on the short drive over the border into Dorset as it's quite rare for me to escape my East Devon prison these days. We enjoyed the Redwings, Treecreepers, GS Woodpeckers and Nuthatches but were feeling a little disappointed that the enormous flock had not contained Brambling. Therefore, we retraced our earlier steps and tried the massive carpet of Chaffinches again. This time, they flew up into the trees and, lo and behold, among the green-rumped throng was a flash of white! We'd got one...oh actually two...no three! Suddenly, finches fell like rain and a broad sweep revealed that we had 5 Brambling, 3 of them males. Where were they at the first time of asking? They must be ranging around I suppose which makes me consider - just how many birds are in this whole area? It looks fantastic and must get more birds than we saw in 2 hours. Anyway, this was a shot in the arm for my birding self and I really needed it after being stranded in Honiton when everyone else was enjoying that rare gull the other day...

Bramblings, Lambert's Castle, 17/02/2020 (Copyright T D Wright)

Brambling, Lambert's Castle, 17/02/2020 (Copyright T D Wright)

The Serin Heat

Serin, Seaton 05/02/2020 (Copyright T D Wright)

    It's got so cold in my flat (now that my last storage heater has packed up) that being outside seems infinitely preferable to wasting electricity on a noisy fan heater. Also, we actually got some calm weather and sunshine this week. So, when Steve Waite said he'd had a Serin along Riverside Way I felt justified in making a detour in the probably vain hope of seeing it. To my amazement, the moment I arrived by the patch of rough ground it visits it flew in! Luckily, the chap I was talking to was quite tall so I had to look up to converse with him. Otherwise, the tiny brown streaky finch may have eluded us when it piled into a weedy bank and quietly set about foraging...

Serin, Seaton 05/02/2020(Copyright T D Wright)

      It's not very often we get a rare passerine found in February here so well done Steve for bringing us all some cheer in the bleak midwinter. I'm surprised that it seems to have disappeared again though. Where is it now? It can't have gone far, surely? Perhaps it heard a storm was coming and headed for warmer climes!?