The Chaffinch

I'll start with a male Common Chaffinch (Bokfink / Fringilla coelebs) in a beautiful nuptial plumage. The photo was taken in Funkelia (Kongsberg, Norway).

Canon 550D, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 - 1/640, f/5.6, ISO1600, 300mm - June 7, 2011

This is what the Chaffinch looks like in January. They are migratory birds, so this one, visiting in mid january was a something special. I have no idea whether it had been here the whole winter or just came 3 months early:

Canon 70D, Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L USM IS - 1/200, f/6,6, ISO1000, 400mm - Jan.10, 2016

There are a lot of more photos of male Common Chaffinches on Flickr.


The female Chaffinch was one of the very first visitors in our new garden on Kongsgårdmoen (Kongsberg, Norway).

Canon 550D, Sigma 150-500mm - 1/100, f/8, ISO800, 500mm - April 10, 2012

 See more shots of female Common Chaffinches on Flickr.


It was a particularly delightful moment when in late June the same year the Chaffinches started bringing their offspring to the garden to feed them.

Canon 60D, Sigma 150-500mm - 1/500, f/8, ISO1600, 500mm - June 25, 2012

  See more photos of Common Chaffinches feeding its offspring on Flickr.

As a curiosity, here are two pictures of the Central Canary Islands Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs canariensis), a subspecies from Gran Canaria, Spain. The photos were shot in Los Tilos de Moya, a natural reserve on the North side of the island. It is fascinating to notice how the differences in feather colours reflect the colour differences of the local nature.
Thanks to a good friend, Gran Canarian Javier Vega, for showing me the place and the bird!

Adult male Central Canary Islands Chaffinch:

Canon 70D, Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L USM IS - 1/1250, f/5,6, ISO500, 400mm - July 4, 2016

Juvenile Central Canary Islands Chaffinch stretching:

Canon 70D, Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L USM IS - 1/800, f/6,3, ISO2500, 400mm - July 4, 2016

See more photos of the Central Canary Islands Chaffinch on Flickr.

There is also a rare Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch (Fringilla polatzeki) but even though I've tried to find it (with good help from local good friend Javier Vega), this is my only result so far, and i must admit that the colours aren't very much like the real bird. ;-)

The photo is a 360° Ricoh Theta image I have posted on Google Maps. You can zoom in, have a look around and even watch it in full screen on a computer (symbol top right in image).

For more info about Chaffinches, check out Wikipedia.
Wikipedia also have an article on the Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch.