Today, I finally made it to my Brussels patch of Rouge-Cloître/Roodklooster for the first time this year. It started really well, with a Goshawk perched near the entrance being mobbed by several Magpies plus a Carrion Crow, which, at one point, divebombed it and yanked its tail! I got several of the scarce species I hope to see there at this time of year, including Goldcrest, Firecrest and 3 Teal but the pièce de résistance were Hawfinches. I'd already spotted one amongst a small flock of Greenfinches and was walking along the tree-lined path near the allotments when this one flew up from the ground. I fumbled for my camera and managed to get this first shot but, after a while, it returned to the path to feed, showing ridiculously well for such a shy and secretive species. I ended up with 41 species around the reserve, plus a Peregrine seen from the tram on my way there.
