A soft piping whistle, followed by another – a flute-breath that drifted across the air like a whisper in the breeze.
My eyes scanned the tangled branches of the garden apple tree and glimpsed a pair of bullfinches feasting upon the emerging buds – the male resplendent with his black cap and rosy breast, the female more muted in her plumage, yet nonetheless a picture of regal elegance.
Attractive birds
I watched the pair with mixed emotions – the apple tree was taking a hammering and may lose the vibrancy of its blossom over the coming weeks, yet bullfinches are undeniably attractive birds that bring colour to the garden.
Although widespread, bullfinches only ever occur in low numbers, and as such, should be cherished.
Such reflections quickly quelled my angst about the fortunes of the apple tree, for the presence of these bullfinches brought unrequited joy.
Bullfinches are loyal to the core, pairing for life and always going about their business as a couple, whistling to one another continuously like a pair of besotted lovebirds.
The following day, another pair of bullfinches joined the apple-bud plunder.
There was initial friction between the pairs, with short flurries and chasing.
But they soon settled down, both couples eventually finding enough elbow room in the tree to methodically strip the buds.
Insight into behaviour
Other types of trees in the woodland behind the garden were budding too, but the bullfinches completely ignored them due to their all-consuming passion for apple-buds.
Their presence provided a good opportunity to gain an insight into their behaviour, so I settled down in a garden chair and watched the birds for an hour so.
The most striking element was that each pair was tied together by an unbreakable knot, never venturing far from one another.
The alarm call of a blue tit sent one pair spiralling up in the air and into a nearby sycamore.
After a short period, they bounded back to the apple tree again in happy unison.
Other garden life
Watching their antics was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon and inevitably, other garden life caught my attention.
Above the lawn, queen buff-tailed bumblebees, laden with eggs and newly emerged from hibernation, flitted this way and that as they scoured the ground for suitable holes to build their nests in.
The clouds parted and the sun shone down, magically conjuring small tortoiseshell and peacock butterflies into the air.
Both species exhibit colourful wing-patterning, which flashed and glistened in the afternoon sun.
Like the bumblebees, they too had emerged from their winter slumbers and were now seeking mates before laying eggs.
What’s that sound?
A loud whistle from the house roof pierced the air.
It was a starling, sitting on the gutter, its beak crammed full of dried grass nesting material.
It eyed me briefly, before scuttling into a crevice under the eaves to build its nest.
No matter where I looked, nature was busy at work preparing to produce the next generation.
The aura of excitement in the air was palpable and it was truly inspiring.
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