After lunch, I had planned to go out for a walk but the rain decided to return. I took a look out of my living room window to see who was around and perched in the laurel outside, a few feet away was a magnificent male bullfinch, waiting out the rain just like me.
Bullfinches are quiet birds, quieter than our other local finches and they like to hide. Their short stubby beaks are perfectly adapted for feeding on buds, which they are very enthusiastic about, particular favourites are pear and cherry buds. This doesn’t make them very popular with orchard owners I am afraid.
They form very strong pair bonds no matter what time of year, if you see one, you will likely always see the other. Bullfinches were once popular caged birds, fortunately that trend has died out and the Bullfinch is allowed to live as it should in the wild.
By River Six