Hawfinches at Bramfield, Herts - 9th January 2024

Over the festive period I had been struck down by cold and a nagging cough. Thankfully on the mend, a short trip to Bramfield was due as the Hawfinches had returned. A surprise was three Ring-Necked Parakeets in one of the Yew trees.

The usual views of Hawfinch here are generally high up in a bare tree before they disappear. This male has a ring!

It pays to keep an eye on the floor as this female was feeding in the leaf litter. Really difficult to see initially! Since this date, some seed has been scattered, so worth keeping watch for more on the deck as well as Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Brambling.

But my best shots were of this female feeding in the Yew trees.

What cracking birds! Also great to see so many familiar faces. A quick visit the following day to Rye Meads revealed no fewer than five Great Egrets (which initially I thought were Cattle Egrets as they were hunched up). They stayed for around an hour before relocating to the meadow and then flying off North.