Did manage to do a bit more to the new kitchen in the meantime, however. It just remains for me to varnish the paintwork, knot and paint the kick-board and emulsion the walls, etc. Trouble is, I suspect 'the good lady' will want the larder doing next (I've already done the pantry). Should have bought a new house, me thinks.
Weather. More of the same; wind and rain and grey skies. Monday night it blew just a touch and put 35mm of raindrops in the rain guage. We had another 7mm yesterday day-time and that makes it nearly 3 inches so far this month. Tomorrow, we are expecting another storm - or just a gale - depending on where the low pressure track is. Here's a couple of pics of the local stream that runs through the meadow where I ring; normally it's a third the width, ankle deep, gin clear and flowing gently. Not yesterday!
This morning we had "an interlude" and two nets were opened. One might as well have stayed shut. In 2 hours between 9 and 11 o'clock, I caught 8 birds, FIVE of which were - wait for it! - House Sparrows. I can't remember when I last caught five in quick succession, but it must have been post-fledging in my Bedford garden back in spring 2010 or 2009. What's more, two of these were re-traps!
Passer domesticus MaleThe new birds were all males and the two females were originally ringed here in January and April. I also trapped a new 1CY female Chaffinch and retrapped an adult Blue Tit and a young Wren.
You have to 'make hay' when the wind dies down in December in coastal Somerset or you might not ring a bird for a month or more.
5 spodgers must be some sort of record but what is that net thing you talk about? Maybe I just forgot!
ReplyDeleteYou know those tights Sue wears on special evenings in, well, they're like that - but a whole lot bigger!
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