Greenfinches at Seaton Wetlands

Greenfinch - Seaton - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

I’ve loved Greenfinches ever since I first saw them in the back yard as a child. I drew them in my 1970s nature notebooks:

Here at Seaton Wetlands in East Devon there are a few busy birds moving through in their search for food:

Greenfinch - Seaton - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

They look like seriously uncompromising birds, with powerful beaks.

Greenfinch - Seaton - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

I still find the acid lemon yellow stripes on their plumage to be unbearably exotic.

Greenfinch - Seaton - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

The males are greener with more defined yellow stripes. The females are greyer and less noticeable. Juveniles are faintly striped above.

Greenfinch - Seaton - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

I’m finding them very endearing.

Greenfinch - Seaton - The Hall of Einar - photograph (c) David Bailey (not the)

We’ve lost half of the entire Greenfinch population in the UK since 1970. How long before the remainder are lost?

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