Every autumn the lovely Bullfinch turns up here in Villanueva de la Vera to spend winter with us. It’s always a smashing bird to see because it’s plumage, especially the males, is just as beautiful in winter as when it’s breeding further north in summer.
The number that arrive every year is variable. Up to now this winter seems pretty slack. But the most incredible thing about their behaviour is their faithfulness to the same sites year after year. A couple of winters ago they were present on 35 out of the 37 visits we made to a tiny clump of willows near our house!!
No one really knows for sure where they come from. We’ve just spent last Christmas in Asturias where the Bullfinches were just as abundant as in summer, so it doesn’t seem, prima facie, that they come from there. Maybe from further north in Europe?
I’m dead keen to photograph one but up to now I’ve not been lucky enough to get a decent shot. Maybe this evening, because as soon as I’ve posted this entry I’m off to the clump of willows to see if I can hear their piiuuu call and if they are good enough to perch close by.
My congratulations!!!
ResponderEliminarGreat photos and very interesting your commentaries. Good luck with bullfinches. I'm sure you'll get great images of such a wnonderful bird.