Male Bullfinch finds sanctuary

Steve managed to get this really nice picture of a male Bullfinch as it sat posing at the top of one of our garden bushes this lunchtime. It has become a regular visitor over recent days, no doubt because we have a wide variety of tempting snacks on display in our garden bird sanctuary!

The more aggressive female Bullfinch decided not to join him. Maybe too busy attacking some birds in another garden. She likes other birds to know who's boss :)

Pair of Bullfinches squabble

Very early this morning this pair of Bullfinches arrived on our seed tray, which contained broken up Suet Balls and sunflower hearts. Amusingly, the female didn't seem to want to share breakfast with the male, so she lunged at him. The male Bullfinch then decided to come back on his own five minutes later to complete his breakfast, without his aggressive female companion! Unfortunately, very low light levels means this short video is quite dark - it was taken at around 8:20am today - when it was barely light!

Marsh Tit sighting

The cold weather and lying snow (we have about four inches) has resulted in several rare garden birds making regular appearances today. This Marsh Tit (HD video below), was seen regularly on the sunflower feeder - which I have to say is a magnet for birds at any time of the year, but particularly when food becomes scarce.



These Marsh Tit pictures were taken under the low-light conditions that often prevail in January in the UK, so they are not great quality:

Birds in Survival Mode in the Snow

Here's a reasonable picture of the same female Bullfinch taken today with our Canon 500D / Canon 100-400mm EF zoom lens at F6.3, 1/125s, Exp Bias +0.3 step, ISO 800.

Wintering Chiffchaff

We were lucky enough to get a good sighting of a wintering Chiffchaff at Dinton Pastures Country Park, near Reading this week.

The bird was reported to be a Siberian Chiffchaff, but this has since been disputed by birding experts.

The bird did seem to have slightly different colourations than a UK Chiffchaff - having a greyer back. Also notable were the warm buff markings below the eye and blacker legs and beak.

That said, some UK Chiffchaffs over-winter in the south of the UK and the presence of some yellow on the bird's breast made it unlikely it was a Siberian Chiffchaff. To meet BBRC tristis criteria a Chiffchaff needs to have an absence of yellow away from the underwing. This bird appears to have yellow tints on its underparts so does not meet these criteria.

Urban Birds of Maui

Myna

Introduced to Hawaii from India in 1895, the Common Myna was brought in primarily for insect control. Mynas are widespread throughout the Hawaiian islands generally below 5,000 feet. Although technically a member of the starling family, they have similar characteristics to magpies, and enjoy collecting shiny paper or foil. They prefer to skip or walk rather than hop like cardinals and finches. These birds have done so well that the IUCN made the Myna one out of three birds that made it onto the 100 worst invasive species.

Red Crested Cardinal

Another introduced alien species to Hawaii, the beautiful Red Crested Cardinal was originally from Brazil and can also be found in other south american countries. These birds are often seen in pairs in parks and gardens and will readily visit bird feeders.

This particular bird was photographed at Ho’okipa overlook, near Paia on Maui's north coast - Ho’okipa being one of the world's top surfing destinations - but we found it also to be a great spot to see both species of Cardinal - the Northern Cardinal and the Red Crested Cardinal.

Japanese White Eye (Mejiro)

Another introduced species, the Japanese White Eye is normally found in Japan and throughout Asia, where it is known by its Japanese name "Mejiro". At 10cm in length, it is a sociable bird with yellow-green plumage and cream underbelly. A characteristic white ring around the eye makes it unmistakable. The Japanese White Eye feeds on fruit, flower nectar and small insects and can be seen at lower and higher elevations across Maui, including urban areas where it feeds on Hibiscus and other flowering plants.

Java Sparrow

The Java Sparrow (or Java Finch) is quite unlike any other sparrow you may have seen! This gregarious bird was introduced from Indonesia and can often be seen in urban areas and often in large flocks at bird feeders in urban areas.

15cm in length, it is a popular cage bird and is still widely bred in captivity.

The Java Sparrow primarily feeds from grass and seeds and the sexes are dissimilar - the male having an all-grey upper parts and a pink underbelly, whereas the female Java Sparrow is more fawn brown in colour.

Java Sparrows are considered a pest in Asia where they damage rice crops. As a result they have been banned from being kept as a cage bird in parts of the USA, including California.

Northern Cardinal

The Northern Cardinal is a stunning songbird, also known as the Redbird or Common Cardinal. It is also found across the US mainland from Maine to Texas.

At 21cm in length the Northern Cardinal has distinctive bright red plumage and can be seen across Maui, particularly at lower elevations in trees, parks and gardens in urban areas. This male bird was seen at Ho’okipa overlook. Female Northern Cardinals are a buff brown colour with red tints and a red beak.

Spotted Dove

Introduced to Hawaii from China, the Spotted Dove is very common in urban areas across Maui and the other Hawaiian Islands and can frequently be seen feeding off grains, seeds and fallen fruit.

At 28cm, the Spotted Dove has characteristic black patch on its neck with attractive white spots - giving the bird its name and a pink underbelly.

Zebra Dove

Introduced in 1922, The Zebra Dove can be seen everywhere across the lowland areas of Maui from car parks, side walks to restaurants where it feeds off food scraps dropped by restaurant patrons. It is without doubt, Maui's most common bird.

Smaller than the Spotted Dove at 23cm, males can frequently be seen doing a courtship display where they bow whilst fanning their tail.

House Finch

An attractive medium sized finch of about 12.5cm - 15cm in length, the House Finch is predominantly a ground feeding bird which eats grains, seeds and berries. It will also feed at garden Nyjer feeders.

House Finches can be seen in many urban areas across Maui, particularly in parks and gardens. The male House Finch pictured right was photographed at Kalama Beach Park in Kihei.

Gray Francolin

Native to the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, Gray Francolins are another introduced bird to Hawaii. They can be found in the dry lowland regions of Maui on the leeward side of Haleakala foraging in scrub-land for grains and small insects including termites.

The Gray Fracolin is also known as a Gray Partridge and the loud call of male birds is commonly heard early in the morning where they can be seen perching on the roof tops of buildings.

Hawaiian I'iwi feeding

I'iwi at Hosmer Grove

A video from my recent trip to Hawaii...

There's nothing much like these tropical birds in England, so hope you enjoy this footage of one of Hawaii's most iconic birds. Here we see an I'iwi and an Apapane having a minor disagreement over which should feed from the Lehua blossoms of the Ohia tree.