In order to get our year-lists off to a good start, I had a little race with a few friends to see who would reach 100 species first. I was the first to reach 100 species today, with 5 Hawfinches at my Brussels patch. It was very good for finches in general, with a large group of Chaffinches plus a few Greenfinches, and a flock of around 40 Siskins. This bold-as-brass Robin came right up to me expecting some food so I felt quite guilty taking its photo without offering anything in return.
I then tried Woluwe Park, which is the most reliable spot in Brussels for Middle Spotted Woodpecker, and sure enough, after several Great Spotted Woodpecker sightings, eventually found one with an entirely red cap. The successful finch-day continued with a Lesser Redpoll passing overhead, taking my 2015 list to 102 so far, only four of which were outside of Belgium.
