Hawfinch

Hawfinch - Coccothraustes coccothraustes

comments (14)

WildFlower

Lion

How do you find all these little birds? I usually hear them but I cannot see them and even if I see some, they don't stay still long enough to get a good shot. There are about 65 species of birds in the South park and I bet you have seen most of them. Posted 10 years ago
1. Jivko Nakev
  
  Lion
  
  You made me count the bird’s species I have captured in the South Park: 16. I've seen more, but managed to shot only 16. One of my Facebook friends told me some time ago: “There are 3 important things for successful bird photography: Eyes, ears and… patience”.
  Yes, patience! I definitely miss it!
  First of all I am always in camouflage clothes. I’ve bought them in the local Hunting shop. For some of the lenses I have camouflage cover as well.
  I have found some favourite secluded places in the South Park, where no people and dogs are walking around and is comparatively calm. I find a place usually near a tree in a shadow, and stay calm for some time. And if I have a chance after 20-30 minutes birds are flying around, creeping up the trees and perching. Not always, but sometimes…
  It is real fun to see how people are looking at me walking around in my camouflage clothes with cameras hanging on my shoulders and a big backpack!...
  Posted 10 years ago
2. 1. WildFlower
    
    Lion
    
    I found 10 in one day, including pigeons, sparrows, magpies and crows which are the most common ones. The others were a jay, a few great tits, two woodpeckers, moorhens and mallards, nothing special. I don't use camouflage and I search for them actively which means that they tend to flee when I approach...
    You mean that if I ever come across you I won't miss you ;) Posted 10 years ago
  2. 1. Ferdy Christant
      
      Lion
      
      Wildflower, if you don't have the clothing or the patience for birds, sometimes luring them with the bird's call can be very effective. I've recently tried that for the first time using a smartphone app and it worked great. Posted 10 years ago
    2. 1. WildFlower
        
        Lion
        
        Interesting, how does that work? Do you play any bird's call or you have to know which species it is? Posted 10 years ago
    3. Ferdy Christant
      
      Lion
      
      Replying here as we reached the maximum reply level below. Yes, you have to know the species in advance. You would use this when you see the species far away, know what they are, yet want to bring them closer to you without hiding in some camouflaged hut for hours, it's a way to speed things up.
      
      I've only used it once, since last weekend, and it worked great for that bird species. I don't know if all birds respond in the same way, but this first experiment was very successful. Worth a try!
      
      I was inspired by our bird guide in Sri Lanka who used it all the time. Posted 10 years ago, modified 10 years ago
    4. 1. Jivko Nakev
        
        Lion
        
        I have never tried it till now. Once it happened at Dragoman marsh I came across a photo-tour guide, who used his smartphone to attract Bearded tits. An it did work. I am quite curious to test this. @Ferdy, would you tell me what kind of application you are using. Posted 10 years ago
    5. Jivko Nakev
      
      Lion
      
      You'll definitely not miss me - all in camouflage clothes, two cameras hanging on my shoulders and most of the time carrying a tripod.... Posted 10 years ago
  3. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    Replying here regarding your app question: the app is on iOS and is called "Vogels in Nederland" (birds in the Netherlands). It is a dutch app but you can still use it. It has clear photos, binomial names, english names, and lists all birds over here, of which many you would in other countries in Europe as well. Here's the link:
    
    https://itunes.apple.com/nl/app/vogels-in-nederland/id459463875?mt=8
    
    Posted 10 years ago
  4. 1. Jivko Nakev
      
      Lion
      
      Thank you, Ferdy, unfortunately I cannot use it, my smartphone is Android.... Posted 10 years ago
    2. 1. Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        That should not be an issue, with a simple search I see there are many bird apps on Android. Posted 10 years ago
    3. WildFlower
      
      Lion
      
      I have an old Samsung galaxy with Android, I don't know if it will work. The problem is you have to know the species in advance. It is good for guides who know the species in their territory, but how would I know what to search for?
      There is a Bulgarian app for Android - SmartBirds which is an identification guide to 269 breeding bird species in Bulgaria and an electronic diary for birdwatchers. They have some distribution range. I don't think they have the calls though.
      https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=zz.android.smartbirds&hl=en Posted 10 years ago, modified 10 years ago
    4. 1. Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        If you're new to an area, you may not know, but still in general based on country you should have some idea about what you can expect there. It's true though, the more you know about the species and area, the more effective this will be.
        
        It doesn't have to be an app, perhaps you can find some audio files on the web, haven't tried that yet. Posted 10 years ago
  5. morpheme
    
    Lion
    
    I once stumbled across some duck hunters wearing marsh camo (not orange) complete with tatty face masks that looked like hanging vegetation. Creepy… Posted 10 years ago

The Hawfinch

The hawfinch is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Its closest living relatives are the evening grosbeak from North America and the hooded grosbeak from Central America especially Mexico.

Info 16 0

Similar species: Perching Birds

Species identified by Jivko Nakev