When I was a young birdwatcher, probably about the time of my early teens, I read that the chaffinch was the most numerous British bird. I found that hard to believe because it didn't accord with my experience. The starling, the house sparrow, probably the blue tit, were all more commonly seen by me than the chaffinch. In recent years a few estimates of the most numerous bird have been published. The most recent that I have seen places the wren at number one with over eleven million pairs. I see more robins than wrens (it was ranked second), but then the wren is more secretive and the robin more tolerant of people. The numbers of both will have benefitted from the recent mild winters. Interestingly, the report that named the wren at number one also placed the chaffinch at joint number five (alongside the blackbird) with just over 5 million pairs.
This cock chaffinch was foraging the picnic tables at a Forestry England site in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.
photos © T. Boughen Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2
