Nought and Crossbills

Yesterday the day started counting Hawfinches exiting the main roost near our feeding site in North Wales with Dave Smith (Hawfinch guru) and two RSPB conservation scientists from the Lodge currently working on Hawfinch, Will Kirby and Liz Charman. We counted an amazing 104 coming out of the roost, just one short of the record count for that area. No doubt many were wearing colour-rings but they just weren't hanging around to show them off!

Hawfinch in flight taken earlier in the year, if only it were in focus!!!

Soon after, we visited the feeding site hoping that there were going to be some to have a go at catching but, as expected, there were none present -  just too much natural food around at the moment I guess.

In the evening and again this morning had a quick couple of goes at netting the drinking pool at Caerhyddwen Plantation hoping for a few more Crossbills. About a dozen were hanging around, including some really smart males, but just the female below obliged. Some very welcome extras though included 15 Goldcrests, 10 Coal Tits, 10 Siskins, 2 Lesser Redpoll, 5 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Treecreepers and few other bits and bobs!