Staying for the winter?

Fjallafinka – Brambling – Fringilla montifringilla

Bramblings are annual guests in our garden. In the end of April there were three here but last winter we had up to 15 birds here. Now we have a Brambling again, one which has probably been in Iceland for the summer. The question now is whether this Brambling is staying or migrating South in autumn, as is their custom in their usual habitat.

Brambling feeding with a Common Crossbill

Bramblings are vagrants in Iceland. They breed in Northern Europe, although not in Iceland, and are supposed to fly South for winter. A few instances of breeding have been recorded here. Here is a blog from April this year.