Bully...

A comment on yesterday's post from James had me hunting for more new info on 'Northern' Bullfinches.

The more I read, the more features I think yesterday's bird displayed, to some degree. Even a feature or two I didnt know about...

Main Points are -

Size. A large long bodied bird.
Colour. Pale silvery mantle and clean rose pink breast.
Wings. The bar on the greater coverts is huge. Like nothing I've seen before, not even on Northern Bullfinch in the hand. A tiny white 'thorn' is visible at the top of the spike, and the black, sawtooths into the white, but ever so slightly in this image due to distance from the bird. There are some whitish in the primaries, but a look at our own birds can show some of this too. Click on image for a larger view.

As soon as I saw this bird eating hawthorn buds it looked very impressive and even had the 'presence' alluded to by some observers.

So, no call, not trapped and measured but I still put this bird in the 'from over the watter' category...

Cheers James....Some blogs are great at pointing you in the direction of up to date info aren't they....

  

A Spring Migrant...or two.

Using up the last of my annual leave by having extended weekends is great when the weather is like today. Clear and sunny with only a hint of a breeze, although it was cool generally, sheltered spots in the sun did hold some warmth. A bit of a relief after last nights -2.5 degrees...

After doing some jobs in the morning, I managed a couple of hours wander about this afternoon.

Chiffchaff

This Chiffchaff was calling and flitting between catkins as they do, but didn't sing. A female maybe? Whatever it is, its a nice early one for here...

Further on, in the drab woodland this appeared around a corner. What a stunner, a vermillion coloured Rhododendron, very nice. While taking this pic, a Tawny Owl was hooting nearby.

The days highlight though belongs to the Raven making sport of  a Buzzard overhead, the calls, 'clip clop' above sounded like horses hooves.

Both birds above were in the same frame but at the far ends of the shot so I've pulled them closer together in this image. The Raven was exactly the same size as the Buzzard.

As I came out of the woods, the Raven was in a cow field with Jackdaws where it looked the size of a Christmas Turkey until it flew off! 

This huge Bully only lingered for a few seconds before flying away into the back evergreens with its three companions, 2 females and another male. I think it is a Northern Bullfinch, and may even be the one seen last November, but I just didnt get a good prolonged view to compare it to its mates. Still, this record shot has nothing that would dispell my theory, and it certainly stood out...What a bird...

Also of note were 2 or 3 Grey Wagtails and 3 Little Grebes on the pond.

Big Bruiser Bully update...

Remember the Northern Bullfinch we had at Howick the other week, just before the snow came? John has managed to salvage these photos from his phone. As can be expected the digi-scoping qualities of a blackberry are debateable but it shows our bird.

Note the large appearance even though alone, against the rowan berry clumps, the silvery / blue grey mantle, clean and unsullied, bright rose pink breast / cheeks etc, 'wrap around' rump / undertail. In the middle photo you can just about make out the large bill. The clean broad white wing bar looks nice too.

All of these features are difficult to describe to show how different this bully was from his Howick companions. You'll get through a lot of local Bullfinches before you get one as nice as this though thats for sure.

An oldie....

Some for Nigel at Abbey Meadows....This female Northen Bullfinch was caught by Nigel, JWR and me at Felton Lane near Widdrington in Feb 1996. It was easily located by its tooting trumpet call. Back in 1996 I dont think this call had been fully recognised? See my notes at the top. Excuse the photo quality, they are scanned in...

I've had these on the blog before, but as Nige mentioned it in the previous comments...

The bird was coming to our feeding station...but, in the same year me and John found Arctic Redpolls at Alnmouth Dunes on 11th Feb and Druridge Bay Country Park on 17th March. Still the only ones I've seen...

He's big, bright and northern.....

No not me....I'm not that bright, but he is -

No one knows better than me, how tricky northern Bullfinches are to identify in the field, without call, but just try one, in the scope, 20yards away with a British Bullfinch in the same view for comparison. There is no comparison.

I have been lucky enough to have handled three pyrrhula Bullfinches as a ringer, and have seen and heard another couple. They are great birds, and make our own resident bullies seem dowdy. Even females are bright and bushy, a bit like waxwings, but I have struggled to nail them in the field without that distinctive call note. [Check out Richard Dunns blog on the right he has some samples]

Today myself and JWR encountered a few small parties in the Long Walk at Howick then found three birds on an ornamental rowan tree near the pond. There was a male and female pileata  next to the brightest male Northern you could find. Side by side he was maybe 10% bigger on bulk, but the plumage was most catching. The wing bar on the big lad was very broad and white with a hint of grey on the inner feathers while the other birds had dull off white dirty narrower curved bars. The pink on the northern was almost carmine, getting redder down towards the belly, the white offsetting this beautifully. Even the mantle was a clean silver looking tone, much brighter than his British mates.

He nipped off full rowan berries just like a waxwing, no problem.

All that was missing was the call. A few fine peeps but none of the nasal toots that identify these birds at range, so I cant see it getting accepted as such.

Never mind, its in my book and I'm well pleased with it.

Why no photos from either me or John? We didnt take the cameras as we were fully scoped doing the WeBS count from Boulmer to Howick with heavy showers it just didnt seem worthwhile...how often have I said that!