Meet the Animals

Here at Pensthorpe we have a camera trained on our wild chaffinch nest.

Missed something? Keep up to date with the chaffinch nest here.

Species information

The chaffinch is a colourful little finch with two white bars on the wing. A male chaffinch has an orange-red breast and cheeks with a blue-grey head, the female is more grey-green. It has a loud and varied song (think of a cricketer running up to bowl) and a 'pink' call, often heard before the bird is actually seen.

The UK's large resident population is supplemented during winter, when birds from northern Europe migrate to Britain, forming flocks with other finches and sparrows. Usually, it is the females who do all the migrating.

It's our second most common breeding bird (after the wren), extremely widespread throughout the whole of the UK. Its neat little nests, made out of grass and leaves in the branches of a tree, get hidden by moss and lichen.

How to help

The chaffinches in your garden will prefer to feed from the ground on seeds that may have fallen from tables and feeders and also insects. You can get advice on feeding garden birds from the RSPB. Or there is baking for birds with Breathing Places, and also try the Young Peoples Trust for the Environment.

Thursday 28th May

Here is the moment we have all been waiting for - those chaffinch chicks finally leaving the nest!

Wednesday 27th May

These chicks could fledge anytime now.

Monday 25th May

The chaffinch chicks are already a big hit. We can't believe how four big chicks can fit into such a small nest!