8.
of the finches, of which I had but a fleeting-
glimpse, seemed to be stockier than a Green-
finch and with white bars on its wing but it
disappeared behind a holly bush. I stopped,
stock still, hardly daring to breathe. With
my binoculars trained on the bird's antici-
pated point of emergence I waited 15 or 20
seconds. Sure enough, a rather sturdy bill
was followed by the rest of "a plump female
Hawfinch but she was there for only a
few seconds before flying off and becoming
lost in the tangle of holly bushes. Sub-
sequently in another part of Bury Wood I saw
five more Hawfinches and had some good views
of a rather splendid male. Although, like
most finches, they are wary birds when
feeding and difficult to get close to, they
are fairly easy to identify when on the ground
as the stocky body and thick bill give them
away. In flight white bars appear on the
upper wing surface and on the tips of the
tail. The eye too, if you can get close
enough, is a prominent feature with its pale
outer ring.
Other migrants foraging in Bury Wood
were numerous Redwing, often accompanied by
Blackbirds, and I saw also the
odd Fieldfare but the large
flocks of the latter seemed to
keep to the more open areas on
the woodland margin. Other birds
I noted were the residents:
several Marsh and Cole Tits,
Mistle Thrushes (usually in pairs),
Wrens, Hedge Accentors, Crows,
Magpies, Wood-Pigeons and a pair
of Kestrels (male and female), the latter
quartering the woods possibly waiting for one
of the many finches to make a mistake! Also
in the woods, I was rather surprised to see