Yet another bird we usually see in town this time of year but is absent so far this winter.
Bullfinches appear in early February most years to nibble on the cherry blossom buds in the trees near my apartment.
The main race is Japan is very different to that in the UK, as you can see from this picture below.
They breed in the high mountains in central Hokkaido and move to lower elevations in winter.
Birds with more red/pink on the breast are invaders from continental Asia and the 2 races form mixed flocks.
There is still time for them to appear in 2019.
These photos were taken 2 years ago.