Minus 6C

As the sun was shining the last two days, put a 20 foot up across the garden during the warmer part of the day. My rotten cold was improving, and I felt I could cope.

Yesterday was the poorer of the two days. Two 2CY Blue Tits, of opposite sexes, one a re-trap. Also, two Blackbirds, one a male born locally in 2007 and a new '6' female that was in the process of regrowing all of the feathers on the right side of its tail. The male weighed 124g and the female 126g; that's 30-40% heavier than in the breeding season.

Today was more eventful. To start and finish, new, unringed, female House Sparrows; the main period for catching this species is May-June-July when they are nesting/fledging. Next, my favourite, an adult male Goldfinch, this one with a wing of 85mm and weighing 18g (fat2) at half-past ten!  Then a cheeky juvenile Wren, sexed as a female on size, a retrap from November, with 3 ogc.

The the surprise, a Redwing - the first to be ringed in the garden in 13 years. It was a '5' (2CY), with 5 ogc and it was regrowing its inner tertials. A good weight at 63.5g (We've caught then in the Fens with starvation weights of 48-50 gms). We often see them passing over as they leave the fields just to the north of us in the early mornings. I think I'm right in saying that this is only the third time that they have entered the garden, the same as Fieldfare, and always in hard weather.

The afternoon was quiet with just a re-trap 2CY female Blackbird and the second, new Song Thrush of the week; these have been healthy, too, with weights of 82g and 79g. Today's bird had just 2ogc, which were very ginger in colour compared to the rest of the bird. I would have liked to photograph it but the light was going fast.