Hawfinches and Fritillaries, Woodland Trip Report, Guided Birdwatching Summer 2022

A midsummer walk in a wooded area of the South Downs produced a bountiful array of birds, butterflies and wildflowers.

The first section of the walk was particularly productive for butterflies. A sunny glade held a variety of species, the highlight being a silver-washed fritillary feeding on the bramble blossom. 

Silver-washed fritillary

Alongside an arable field spires of great mullein added pops of yellow to the landscape.

Great mullein

The real standout feature of the day was undoubtedly the hawfinches. Having had several sightings of these throughout the summer I had a strong feeling they were breeding in the area. On this particular morning they were especially active, flying to and fro and landing in the tops of some dead ash trees.

Hawfinch

It was difficult to estimate exactly how many individuals we had seen. At one stage a flock of 6 flew over, followed by a further 3, giving a us minimum count of 9 hawfinches in the area. Several were juveniles, with mottled plumage on their fronts and undersides. It was remarkable to have so many sightings of these usually elusive finches. Seeing the young ones confirmed that they have successfully bred in the area, fantastic news given their red listed status and estimated population of fewer than 1,000 pairs in Britain.

Hawfinches

One of the hawfinches landed in a small scraggly hawthorn bush, and sitting on the other side of the bush was a female bullfinch! It’s not often you get to see these two perched side by side.

Hawfinch

Bullfinch

From the tops of several bushes male yellowhammers sang their song, sitting as obligingly as ever.

Yellowhammers

Other birds seen included a hobby, blackcap, mistle thrush, treecreeper and a delightful juvenile firecrest. Among the many butterflies seen, commas and ringlets were plentiful, and a white admiral sat on the side of a bush. 

Comma

Ringlet

White admiral

The grassland held numerous wildflowers, including this pyramidal orchid and harebell.

Pyramidal orchid

Harebell

Photos from this trip were taken and kindly provided by Les Phillips.

If you are interested in attending a guided birdwatching session such as this one, the upcoming events can be seen on the ‘Events’ page of this website. Or to stand the best chance of a space being available, you can get the information emailed to you prior to its publication online by joining my mailing list. To do so simply email me at baggaleyhugh@gmail.com


- Hugh Baggaley