Do hawfinches ever visit gardens?
This smart finch is a localised breeder, most commonly associated with large tracts of mature broadleaved woodland. While the New Forest, the Forest of Dean and parts of the Lake District support important breeding populations, th he species also occurs more widely across E England and Wales in winter. The use e of gardens tends to reflect this dis tribution pattern, with a handful rece iving regular visits from birds breeding g locally. The hawfinch is secretive in nature, so is easily overlooked – manym breeding pairs likely go unnot ticed. Numbers have declined sharply over recent years b ut for reasons yet un nknown, which suggest s that garden visits maym become even morem uncommon tha an they currently are.