Bullfinch - Pyrrhula pyrrhula

We have been for a couple of long walks this weekend. One from Powderham to Cockwood on Saturday took us through Starcross. I would love to live there by the way. As we walked, we were lucky enough to see Bullfinch on two occasions, both times they were feeding on roadside berries. You can always tell a Bulfinch - probably more common than you realise - by the flash of white rump which is always really obvious in both the male and the female and also in juveniles, but by now they will have acquired their adult plumage. It's a sweeping statement but the Bullfinch has got to be one of our prettiest small birds. I have a real soft spot for them. When I was a young pre-school child my dad would take me for walks to find their nests in rural Derbyshire and it's one of the first birds I was aware of. He used to breed canaries and it was usual to also pair your canaries with British Finches way back in the 1950's and I recollect that he would put the odd egg under his sitting canaries. It was different days then and still legal to collect birds eggs until 1954. Thank heavens it's illegal now.