In a Norfolk garden

A round-the-clock session (midday-midday) produced 76 birds. These in turn produced some interesting figures.

Any road, the totals were 21 new birds and 55 re-traps:

Dunnock 1,

Long-tailed Tit 4 (5) - comprising 4 adults and 5 'young',

Marsh Tit 1 (1) - 1 adult & 1CY (1CY with 4ogc nearest in photo),

Coal Tit 6 (23) - 13 adults & 16 '08 juvs, oldest a '3' on 18 Nov '05,

Blue Tit 2 (11) - 3 adults & 10 'juvs', oldest a '6F' on 27 Jan '06,

Gt. Tit 3 (12) - just 2 adults, the rest this year's young,

Chaffinch 2 (2),

Greenfinch 2 (1).

Last month, I managed to catch 113 individuals altogether. Apart from new Gt. Spot., Wren, Dunnock & Blackbird, I caught/re-caught the following from which we can make some deductions.

Long-tailed Tit  7 - don't know which were adults,

Marsh Tit 2 - both this year's young birds,

Coal Tit 14 (10) - 6 adults & 18 1CY class, oldest the same bird as above,

Blue Tit 20 (33) - 15 adults & 38 youngsters, oldest bird a '3' on 2 Oct '05,

Gt. Tit 9 (8) - of which 6 were adult, + 11 "this year's birds",

Chaffinch 4 (2) - 2 adults & 4 youngsters,

Greenfinch 1 - probably means 'winter passage not started here'.

A few bits of jiggery-pokery and 'hey presto' we can reckon on

5-6 family flocks of Long-tails (~63 birds),

~100 Coal Tits present ... and non-stop at the feeders!

~230 Blue Tits roaming the neighbourhood (wood and gardens),

~ 128 Gt. Tits, although at times it seems as if they dominate the feeders,

and a constant stream (trickle) of Chaffinches passing through the garden.

The Greenfinch is one of those 1CY birds that have moulted all its greater coverts and 'half' its alula and replaced primaries 6-7-8. Suspicion is that these are birds from the far continent (Russia?), with a more pointed wing shape as well. [If PP 6-7 only moulted, perhaps from near continent?].

I have ringed 9 juvenile Marsh Tits here this autumn. 6 of these have been caugh/re-caught in post-juvenile plumage and we know from recent results that 3 are still alive. If they are from nearby and from the same pair, then mortality is ~ 67% post fledging, which one would possibly expect. We'll see how we go, as they're regular at the feeders, too, and seem to do well if they get this far in life - at least until the breeding season.

PS. A pair of 'Squizzers' were collecting dead Oak leaves to line their nest in the ivy clad Ash tree that overlooks the garden. Their nest won't be the only thing that's warm!