What's buzzing or flying near you 2025 ?

Spotted a Hawfinch this morning which i haven't seen in the garden for a few years, and i just sat down with a cuppa and saw the female Hen harrier with her white rump. So much excitement for one day!

 

For the first time in years we had a male bullfinch flitting around our honeysuckle bushes. Wonderful to see and it was around for some time and then.....gone.
A fieldfare likes when we sort through our stored apples and if any are showing the signs of rot then they go out into the orchard near to where we can see the birds. The pigeon and blackbird also take part but the fare is very aggressive and wants it's own apple.

 

Never seen a hawfinch @floralies, and don't know anything about them, but I had a look at various sites after you mentioning it, and we don't seem to have them up here. Lovely birds, and apparently difficult to spot, so that's a lovely siting for you.
Not seen a bullfinch in the garden since autumn, when the male stripped berries from the Amelanchier, but I regularly see them along the hawthorn hedgerows. The fieldfarea are always around, but don't often come in the garden. I think the blackbirds might give them a hard time with the apples though - they're getting through a fair amount of them, and have been for a while.
I too a video of the sparrows attempting to bathe in the pond a few days ago, so I'll try and sort that for uploading. I'll just say, there was only a tiny corner that wasn't frozen, so it was entertaining. Torvill and Dean they ain't...

 

The Hawfinches were quite a regular visitor to the feeders in the winter @fairygirl along with the Chaffinches which disappeared for a few years but have now returned. I saw a green woodpecker in the garden about a week ago, not seen one for a long time.

 

Do you find female blackbirds more tame than male blackbirds? That is my experience with all the different blackbirds who reside in or frequent my garden. I find the female blackbirds more likely to take calculated risks, for example, they are more likely to look around and swoop momentarily, low to the ground to forage, even with predators or people about.

 

A super tame Snow Bunting at Hamworthy Beach in Poole Harbour, feeding within a few feet sometimes and not concerned about people around it. May have come down from the Highlands and never come across people before. A Purple Sandpiper also appeared in the same area and joined some Turnstones.

 

What a rare treat, @strongylodon, I really enjoyed seeing that, thankyou.

 

Lovely to see a bunting @strongylodon . They're quite common up here on our hills. I have a pic from a trip up Cruach Ardrain in Crianlarich which is a favourite of mine. I have it framed and on the wall of my back hall.

They're used to people on the hills though, and are often found near summits - ideal for all the bits of food that get dropped!

I put the video of the sparrows on- hope this link works

 

Goldcrest.

 

Seen yesterday: This is one of a couple that is currently checking the nesting box for this year. They do really test the landing and feeding opportunities.



While having a walk in sunshine, I had the tele lens on the camera and went to a nearby water.

 

This green woodpecker was just passing through - he took off again so quickly I only had time for the one shot and he's not quite in focus.
The dawn chorus is really picking up now. The blue tits are singing a lot and chasing each other around the trees.

 

Today I got a visit from a female bullfinch - I can't remember the last time I saw one in the garden. She checked out the small teasels, but then moved on to the verbena bonariensis where she spent a long time feeding. I'm glad I didn't cut those back, I've been tempted a few times as they are straggling all over the place.

 

A blue tit flew into one of our windows earlier and was rather stunned, we put it in the dark box for twenty minutes and it was fully recovered and flew away as soon as the box was opened. Always a very pleasing result!

 

Mrs Strongy wanted to see the Snow Bunting as it is still around and it was in the same area and amazingly tame.