Bullfinch Male

Sandwich bay is a Bird Observatory, and so on a regular basis they do ringing and surveys that are bird related. We were packing up to leave and Liz found me.."Oh Crystal get to the ringing station immediately, they have bullfinches".

Well I don't mind telling you I had no idea where the ringing station was per say, or what importance a Bullfinch would be until I got there and saw not just this male but his paired female as well about to be ringed.

Although they are finches they are actually very very fragile birds, and so it was a special treat to not only watch them measure and ring this pair but to learn a bit, and to get to see them before release so close up.

This species used to be quite abundant in Kent and in the UK, but fruit farmers and Orchards have license to kill them as they feed mostly on young new shoots of fruiting trees :(