Birds Birds Birds

It's been a rough few days here in birdy land.

On Sunday we found the remains of a dead bird, it did take a bit of identifying until I found the head (sorry I know it's gruesome) and it was obviously an adult Bullfinch. My initial assumption was that it was my male. There were no obvious rose feathers, but after closer inspection their belly feathers aren't pure rose, they have colour bands with rose on the tips.

I had seen the female in the morning, so I assume this was when the male was caught and I couldn't see the cat - or I disturbed it without realising because there was still some 'meat' left on a leg and it was quite, 'fresh'.

Things have been rather quiet in the garden for the last week or so has anyone else got this problem? I'm assuming it's because the birds are now all in hiding waiting for their feathers to moult? I hope so at least as I can still hear them in the trees, but I guess I shouldn't complain because they were getting through obscene amounts of seeds! :D

Last night however, I saw something on the feeder and got my camera as usual (it makes a handy set of binoculars) and it was a pair of Bullfinches! So it would seem that perhaps I was actually seeing two different finches before and that's why I saw the male so frequently or the female has managed to find another male already!

Somewhat relieved, however still gutted that I was the reason there's one less in the area, especially since they're not the most common bird around. But it does sound like there must be a very healthy population in the area.