Yesterday I finally managed to visit Sculthorpe Moor which is a reserve run by the Hawk and Owl trust just outside Fakenham. The weather was a bit cloudy and I was the first person in the car park so I put my money in the box on the gate and walked into the reserve. The reserve itself is half woodland and half reed fen with good access via a network of boardwalk paths and several hides open to the public. Making my way firstly to the woodland hide several were observed including Nuthatch, Treecreepers, Chaffinches, Greenfinches and a GS Woodpecker but no sign of the birds I had come here to see so I moved on to the Whitley hide where I immediately saw amongst the Chaffinches several Bramblings feeding on the seed provided. Sometimes over the next hour or so there were up to 20 Bramblings flitting amongst the bushes and trees some of which can be seen below.
Sometimes along with the Bramblings a few Bullfinches would also appear with the stunning males really showing up well in the bare branches of the bushes. Because of the density of the bushes it was difficult to get clear shots of the birds without twigs and branches getting in the way but I persevered as I don't really like taking pictures of birds when they are on the feeders which seemed to be the only times you were guaranteed unobstructed views. The Bullfinch pictures are below which include shots of the females that are still handsome birds even without the dramatic pinkish/red plumage. Winter is definitely the best time to see these birds as they spend a lot of their time deep in the trees and bushes and are hard to see when everything is in leaf.
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