New neighbor in the yard of my new home.

[StodOne]

So yesterday I went with my friends to celebrate the national holiday , we were having fun , listening to music when one of my friends noticed something on a tree , I didn't have a clue what it was but after checking online I believe its a hawfinch , it is larger then the rest of finches but still very beautiful .
The bird was actually sitting on a nest , when i came back tomorrow the mom was gone for a short while and i noticed little white fluffs inside the nest with beaks opened , after a few moments a mom came back and started feeding the babies , it was so adorable .
I believe this is the bird...

Sadly I didn't manage to take pictures as I didn't bring my cellphone , next time i will sure to snap a few pictures

[lovezebs]

StodOne

What a beautiful bird, how lucky to see it with it's babies.

[sparrowsong98]

I want! wish it was a tame bird, then I wouldn`t have these zebras anymore. I`d get 1 of those.

[isobea]

Yes, that is a hawfinch. They are quite a bit bigger than the finches we keep. For instance European goldfinches measure about 14 cm, hawfinches about 19 cm. In inches that would be a 2 inch difference. They are big, solid birds, absolutely beautiful.
I used to see them occasionally when I lived in Germany (close to a forest and lots of gardens). Not all that common so I would try to disturb the parents and the nest as little as possible. Enjoy from afar and take pictures with a tele zoom lens if you can.
Iso

[StodOne]

I plan to take a camera today and go film her feeding the young , although i am not sure if it is working ..

[StodOne]

Does anyone know what the hawfinch diet consists of , can they eat sunflower seeds , i've red that they eat cherries , I don't know if they eat dog rose(not sure if thats the name of the plant in english) ? I want to put some food on the ground or on a table or something so that i can film that too

[isobea]

StodOne - I just looked up what you would feed them in captivity but they will probably eat this mix, too, when you put it out for them:
oily seeds like hemp, rape seeds, flax, poppy seeds, sunflower kernels, some canary seed, large millet, oats and wheat kernels, cherry pits, pumpkin seeds, pieces of apple and other fruit.
Good luck. Can't wait to see pictures or your film clip.
Iso

PS: Where are you located?

[wildbird]

Be careful about putting food out, especially close to the nest. It might bring preditors. Observe them from a safe distance, so as not to disturb them, so they don't abandon them.

[StodOne]

isobea Thanks for the info , sadly my SD card is full and I believe I will be getting one next week , not sure though as I don't know if there is a store with such an SD card , my phone doesent have that good of a camera , man when you want to get done something right you just cant do it lol
@wildbird Yeah I always try to keep my distance but the problem is , their nest is right next to my house , next to stairs and they we pass them frequently , hope that doesent make the abandon the nest :/ .

[lovezebs]

StodOne

Even with a phone camera, you can snap some pretty good pictures, if you get the setting right.

Just make sure you turn the sound off, as sometimes the clicking of it startles birds.

Good luck.

[isobea]

StodOne - Anymore I use my phone camera for most pix but I agree it's not as good as my old 'real' camera.
If the nest is that close to your house, I would probably forego the pictures and disturb them as little as possible. Maybe you could try taking a picture when the babies are quite a bit bigger and already have most of their feathers. I don't think the parents would abandon them at that point.
Where do you live?
Iso

[StodOne]

isobea Yeah they already heavy some fluffy white feathers , I live in Serbia , the place where I bought the summer home is a hill , not sure the exact height but i know that it is around 400 meters higher then the city I live in.
The house is surrounded by pine forrest , not sure about the exact type of pine , i believe there are a few different types of pines , yeah I thought that the hawfinch (batokljun in my language) eats pinecone , maybe it does i have yet to see it do such thing xD

[isobea]

StodOne - When I lived in northern Germany my apartment was on a hillside close to a mixed forest (mostly deciduous trees such as beech but also some evergreen trees). If you are there in the fall, you might see them eating different kinds of berries and picking the seeds out of pine cones.
Growing up our parents used to take us to an area close to Villach (Austria) for summer vacations and sometimes we would drive into the former Yugoslavia. I believe the furthest south we went was Split. Beautiful country!
Iso