📖 Winter Hawfinch - 27/11/25

Thursday, 26th November 2025, ☁️ 5C ~ Wind SSW @ 16 mph ~ Since my last post on the 15th, we’ve had our first snow of the season, with a thick blanket falling on the night of the 19th, followed by heavy snow showers over the following few days. As I write this, it’s a mild 14°C with southerly winds, yet just yesterday began with frost covering snow—a real swing in the weather!

View from the bedroom window

Yesterday, the 25th, I was delighted to join our RSPB Aberdeen and District Local Group for a walk through my local woodlands at Fetternear in search of Hawfinch. Even better, I managed to complete the entire route—the first time in several months I've been able to walk a reasonable distance.

The RSPB group at Bishops Palace, Fetternear, searching the tree tops for Hawfinch. 

Rob Leslie was leading today, and it was thanks to Rob that we spotted our first Hawfinches at the site during our inaugural walk here in 2023, which I co-led with another local, Bob Conder. Robs find kicked off lots more sightings, with as many as fifty birds recorded in the early months of 2024. A full report from yesterday's outing can be found HERE on the group's website.

Record shot in the gloom of one of the three Hawfinch seen yesterday.

As you'll see, we managed to spot at least three Hawfinches in the surrounding treetops, and it’s great to know they’re back for the winter here for another year and right on my patch. I was happy to see that the two houses in the northeast corner of the woodlands had put their feeders back up, and we got to enjoy sightings of Brambling and Tree Sparrows. Including the two photographed below. 

Cute!

In news from my extended patch (35 Miles): A possible Northern Bottlenose Whale on the 21st was seen moving slowly north past Old Portlethen. A Black Redstart was seen at Cove Bay Coastal Path on the 22nd. On the 23rd, a late Sooty Shearwater flew south past Newtonhill. A  Ross's Goose was seen in the roost with Pinkies at Loch of Skene over several days, and likely the same bird was at Fraserburgh on the 24th in a field off Boothby Road on the 24th. The long-staying Waxwings in Aberdeen were last reported on the 23rd.

As the month comes to a close, the garden feeders are bustling right now, with a large House Sparrow population joined by frequent gatherings of Chaffinches, sometimes hitting double figures. Blue Tits, Great Tits, and Coal Tits are regular visitors too, along with the occasional Goldfinch, Greenfinch, and Siskin. Still no sign of Fieldfares or Redwings, though Blackbirds often number seven or eight. I’m still waiting for our first Brambling, but with a productive beech mast this year, several were feeding at Fetternear yesterday.

As I was writing, Dazza called me to the window, and we were happy to see our first Blackcap of the season feeding on the apples. It might well be one of last year's pair that resided with us for the winter. 

 

Female Blackcap