Hawfinches at Blackwater Arboretum

The weather was rain with a few clear spells!! Highlight was Hawfinches.

Blackwater is the best place in the New Forest for Hawfinch. 13 of us met in Blackwater car park and walked up the track to Blackwater Arboretum. We walked through the arboretum and along a path through the woods on the other side for a short while until it started raining. Just before the rain came a few people saw some Long-tailed Tits in a tree. We sheltered from the rain under a large conifer for a while.
We walked back to the arboretum seeing a few Blackbirds on the way. I wondered if the Hawfinches would show themselves due to the rain. We stood by a bench and looked up at the tree tops where they normally appear. Each afternoon they come along to the arboretum to gather before flying off to roost. They fly around and sit in the tops of trees favouring the taller conifers.
As we waited a small flock of Crossbill flew over giving their ‘jupp, jupp’ call. After about 10 minutes a Hawfinch appeared and flew over us and then round and back again. It soon settled in the top of a tree and was joined by a second bird. They both sat in the tree for about 5 minutes giving us great views through the telescope. We could see the large bill, pale chestnut colour and the black bib they have. They flew off and another two appeared and flew round a bit. Then a Chaffinch sat in the top of the tree and this was joined by a Hawfinch.
It was great for everyone to compare them. Hawfinches look very top heavy with big heads and large beaks and short tails. The Chaffinches have less heavy beaks and heads and the tail is longer making them look more ‘normally’ proportioned. Also the Hawfinches short tail gives them quite a distinctive shape in flight.
The rain eased off and the sun came out. A rainbow appeared over the trees where the Hawfinches had been. We waited for a short time and saw a few more Chaffinches, but no more Hawfinches appeared so we left.
Simon Curson