Hawfinches at Sizergh Castle 2 March 2012

Hawfinches at Sizergh Castle 2 March 2012

Our two-day birding trip had already given us a great day out at RSPB Leighton Moss where we saw lots of species with the bonus of three fantastic “life ticks” – a “redhead” Smew, a Snow Goose and a Glossy Ibis – but this second day was the main purpose of our trip and that was to see the Hawfinches that feed off the Hornbeam and Beech trees in the gardens of Sizergh Castle. So as not to have to start off from Manchester at 6am we decided that we would go to Leighton Moss the day before and then drive up to Kendal for an overnight stay, which we did at the Riverside Hotel. We were up early – as were the three Goosanders on the river outside our bedroom window –  for the 15 minute drive from the centre of Kendal to Sizergh Castle where we all met up with the  National Trust ranger who was leading the event (Rob Pocklington) which started at 8am. When I say that the Hawfinches were in the gardens at Sizergh castle, in fact they were actually in the car park and children’s play area that we saw them.

We parked up in the first (designated) parking area on the way to the Ashbank visitor centre building. By 8 am there were around 20 of us ready to start and as soon as we got out of the car there were seven Hawfinches on the gravel of the car park a few hundred feet away from us feeding on the mast from the Hornbeam Trees. We spent a while scoping the birds from this distance as we waited for any stragglers. About 20 minutes later a few more people had arrived and we edged our war around the side of the car park towards the visitor centre where we all lined up on the verandah of the visitor centre cum cafe. Neither of these was open yet as it was too early in the season and the castle itself was not open to visitors for another week or so.

Basically we spent two hours looking at the Hawfinches as they came and went. I tried to get some photographs of them using a 500mm lens with a 1.7 tele-converter attached but, even then, the reach was not good enough so I didn’t come away with much of any use except as just id photos which was a shame. However it would have been impossible for all of us to get closer without frightening them off. Perhaps we should have stayed longer than the two and a half hours we spent there waiting until all the others had left but by the time it got to mid morning the birds were not so evident anyway.

Despite it being a bit distant for photography there were brilliant views of the Hawfinches using bins or scopes and lots of other birds also appeared including Nuthatch, Song Thrush, Bullfinch and a Jay. At around 9.30am we were served with a bacon sandwich and tea and coffee (included in the £10pp fee) which we were all in need of, having stood around for two hours or so. After this people drifted off in ones and twos and after a bit we thought we had better get on with the day as well so we headed over to the feeder station where we just missed a Treecreeper but there were still plenty of other Finches and Tits and Dunnocks. All in all we had a fantastic morning and it was well worth the journey. I had only ever seen one Hawfinch before and that had been fleetingly in our garden years ago so it was great to have longer views of them in all their glory.

By around 10.45 or so we decided that we needed to get going as we wanted to drop in at WWT Martin Mere on our way home.

The Hawfinches are present in small flocks (up to 20 maximum) throughout January, February and March. This is the best time to see them because there are no leaves on the trees and they collect in flocks. After this they disperse into the woods and prefer to live high up where they are difficult to see. Early morning is the best time to look for them. They can be heard in the car park (they have a characteristic “tick” call which is described as sounding like a soft drinks can being opened). They are woodland birds and prefer Beech, Hornbeam, Plum, Cherry and Yew. The Hawfinch event run by the National Trust seems to run Thursdays and Fridays at 8 am throughout March.

Click here to see the events page for Sizergh Castle

Where To See the Hawfinches at Sizergh Castle

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Bird Sightings : Sizergh Castle