Saturday November 25

No dedicated birding done for the second day running, except that two trips to the paper shop produced three Hawfinches.

Yesterday's was slightly unsatisfactory. I saw what I suspected was a Hawfinch flying across the road into a tree, photographed the tree and found the head of a Hawfinch peering out at me. It quickly disappeared only to fly over my head and land in another tree before disappearing again.

This morning I had one flying away, before finding one in a tree above the paper shop. The sun was against me, but I got a satisfactory shot.

I then edged around the tree and looked back with the sun behind me, but it had gone. However, five minutes later what I presume was the same bird flew over giving the classic "tick.....tick" call. Ironically this is the first one this autumn I have heard making that call.

During the late morning I wandered around without seeing any, and also spent time in the garden pruning the buddleia. The only bird of note to fly over was a Grey Wagtail.

With more than a decade since the last influx, and perhaps 30 years further back to the one before, I am determined to enjoy this one to the full.

Sunday November 19

As my last post suggested, I have been on a bit of a mission lately.

Last Sunday Dave and I checked out the Field Maples opposite the bus-stop on Alders Drive on the grounds that in their last incursion (2005) the Hawfinches had favoured that area. We found nothing. Then on Wednesday my visit to the paper-shop on Costers Lane was enlivened by the discovery of a Hawfinch in Field Maples there. Sadly I didn't have my optics with me, and the bird had flown off by the time I returned.

Since then I have surprised the shop's proprietor by turning up regularly with binoculars and camera around my neck, and have also searched the trees along Alders Lane with Richard B, all to no avail.

This morning I was approaching the shop when three Hawfinches launched themselves from a Field Maple. One landed in a maple across the road and perched perfectly while I scrabbled to put my camera on. Then, disaster, it took off as I was taking aim and flew to a more distant tree, where it landed and I got my record shot.

Hawfinch

It looks like a female to me. Males are even more spectacular.

One other thing to mention is that, right on cue, the first Blackbird was seen picking the berries off our Rowen. The tree will be stripped bare in a fortnight.

Thursday November 9

Well it had to happen. A two-pointer (re Patchwork Challenge) at last. Predictably enough the excitement was provided by a Hawfinch, which flew over me as I was returning from the paper shop. With a newspaper in one hand and a plastic bottle of milk in the other, binoculars left at home, it was not the ideal of circumstances. One thing I did have going for me, though, was that it called. A thin two syllable "siier" which it repeated a couple of times as it bounded away to the south.

This sort of thing makes me reflect on the role of luck in birding. Had I not been stuck behind an old gentleman taking an age to buy copious amounts of lottery tickets, I would not have been in the right place at the right time, winning my own personal lottery.

Mind you, how many rarities must fly over when I'm somewhere else? Probably best not to think about it.

The next challenge is to find one perched in the trees around here, nibbling on seeds. They were quite easy to find here in the last invasion winter, 2005/2006, so there has to be a good chance.

That's put the mockers on it!

Wednesday November 1

I had taken the day off with the intention of going birding, but life intervened and instead I spent most of it taking my parents to a routine hospital appointment in Birmingham. Before that happened I managed an hour wandering around Ipsley Alders dreaming of Hawfinches flying over (they are everywhere this autumn).

None put in an appearance, but I did count 36 Fieldfares heading west, and also 19 Redwings. The woodland was very lively with dozens of tits, Goldcrests, and an impressive 17 Blackbirds. Meanwhile Goldfinches featured heavily in the more sparsely wooded parts, at least 50 with about 12 Siskins.

Some Goldfinches

Cut to late afternoon. I took Lyn to Castle Nurseries (just off patch) to buy a plant and some veggies. No need for the binoculars. Which meant I have been left sighing a lot this evening after I stood and watched a largish, dumpy, short-tailed passerine undulate its way north over the Castle Nurseries car-park. It almost had to be a Hawfinch, but I could see no plumage features at all, and it was silent. Other options included Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, which I don't think it was, and Woodlark, which I can't rule out but seems much less likely than Hawfinch.

I suppose you can't take your bins everywhere, but not having them can lead to frustrating moments like this.