Wildlife in the garden - bullfinches and blossom

If you have fruit trees in your garden, the chances are you may be attracting a bonnie bird with an appetite for blossom buds!  Bullfinches are shy but striking - the male is a very smart gentleman, with a large and distinctive pink-red chest and a black head, grey back and white rump which is often visible as he’s flitting between trees and shrubs.  Meanwhile his demure lady is more muted in colour, with the same pattern but in much softer shades of buff and black.

They’re often seen in pairs or in small flocks and will travel together in search of buds, shoots or flowers to eat. Once considered a pest by commercial fruit producers, they are frequently spotted amongst the blossoms of springtime.  They can eat up to 30 buds a minute, but populations are so low now that they’re not known to do significant damage. 

Bullfinches keep a low profile, and will quickly fly away when people are around, but if you keep still and quiet they may return - you’ll know if they’re nearby by their soft whistling ‘peu’ call.  When you spot the male, look around for his mate - she won’t be too far away.