Bullfinch

Above: Male
Below: Female

Below: Juvenile

The bullfinch is a delightfully colourful small bird and yet, despite it's bold colour, is shy and not easy to spot. They are usually reported as black and white birds as these are the predominant colours you'll see as they fly away from you. To get a good view you really need to tempt them with some seed (sunflower seed does the trick) and have somewhere out of sight to watch for their arrival. Most urban gardens won't be fortunate enough to get a visit from a bullfinch but they are fairly common and widespread throughout the UK.

As is often (but not always the case) in the bird world, the males are more colourful that the female. the male having a shiny black cap, extending to below the eye, as well as a glossy black tail and outer wing. The back is grey and there is a white wing-bar and white rump. The breast and cheeks are a gaudy pink. The legs and beak are black with the beak being a typical sturdy finch beak for cracking open seeds to get at the kernels.

The female is similar in many ways. she too has the glossy black cap, black tail and black outer wings. She also has the white rump and white wing-bar. However the breast and cheeks are a pale brownish buff colour.

Juveniles have the black outer wings and a sort of white wing-bar. They also have the dark tail but in other respects resemble their parents only in basic shape. There back and head being a pale(ish) shade of brown and the breast an even paler shade. The beak and legs are pale, not black.

These birds remain at the feeder munching through seed after seed, although they are nervous and will bolt at the slightest perceived threat.

There are lots of places to see bullfinches. I've seen them regularly at Moore Nature Reserve, Woolston Eyes, Thurstaston Common, Lymm Dam, Risley Moss and Pennington Flash. No doubt there are many other sites. However, for photography I'd only recommend one place and that's Pennington Flash. The Bunting Hide feeding station here is the best place that I know to get really long, close-up views of these handsome birds. Within a few minutes of your arrival you should be able to get several decent photographs. As an alternative you can try the Woodland Hide at Risley Moss, however, they are not as reliably present here and the setting is not quite as good with most perches being man made rather than allowing for natural environment photographs.