Bullfinch - 1994

Breeding resident

A common resident according to Mathew (1894) and Lockley et al. (1949), Bullfinches are generally distributed in Pembrokeshire, being absent only from open areas such as mountain tops, exposed headlands and offshore islands, although they have bred at Caldey since at least 1924 (Wintle 1924). Secretive in manner and difficult to census, the majority of records from the Breeding Birds Survey

of 1984-1988 refer to possible and probable breeding and they may have been missed in some areas. An estimate of 10-15 pairs per tetrad suggests a total of 4,000-5,000 breeding pairs.

The Bullfinch is generally regarded as sedentary, but there is at least some degree of mobility, for up to three at a time have reached Skomer on seven occasions. Groups of up to 12 sometimes gather at bird-cherries in the autumn and at least 30 were mixed with Chaffinches in stubble at Sandy Haven in January 1988.

Fieldwork 1984-88 (based on 478 tetrads) 

Red = breeding confirmed = 139

Orange = breeding probable = 73

Yellow = breeding possible = 127

Total tetrads in which registered = 339 (70.9%)

Donovan J.W. & Rees G.H (1994), Birds of Pembrokeshire