Bullfiches image courtesy of Gerd Rosen
Illustration by Alan Harris from the Kingfisher Field Guide to Birds - Britain and IrelandBother Bulleys, let us sing
From the dawn till evening! -
For we know not that we go not
When the day's pale pinions fold
Unto those who sang of old.
from Thomas Hardy's poem, 'Bullfinches'
Today I was conscious that my last two posts were somewhat monochrome. As it approached lunchtime at work today (hard going) I noticed that the freezing cloud cover had lifted giving way to bright, though very cold, blue sky. As I looked out towards the the bird feeders on next door's apple tree and the ivy covered poplar I was treated to an arial display of two male bullfinches and a female - quite rare I believe. They generally move around in pairs (male and female) so it was unusual to see two males together. The male has a vibrant bright pink breast whilst the female is more of a dusky pink - to see them together is a joy, bringing much needed colour into my day.
The bullfinch is on red alert by the RSPB see:
