Summer ain't here yet

Bit of a funny old week - if the sun came out, the wind tried to follow; if the sun went in, the rain tried its damndest to follow. The birdies didn't know what to do. I don't think I did either. One thing, it was too risky to go down to the water meadow and see what I could catch; some of these showers were really heavy.

Got up nice and early on Monday to see if dawn patrols were any better. Just got the first net up when I caught a brown long-eared bat. Shouldn't have let it chew four "hole extensions" in the 30 foot! Because of the weather's unpredictability, I have operated with a 30 foot or a 40 foot or both for the rest of the week. Monday did eventually divvy up 11 new birds; the odd sessions thereafter found another 17 new birds in the book. Retraps came to 11, mainly young birds recaught a week after they received their 'bling' from me.

Grand total (Mon-Fri):
Collared Dove 1
Blue Tit 10 (2)
Great Tit 3 (1)
Long-tailed Tit (4)
Blackcap 6
Blackbird 5 (2)
Robin (1)
Dunnock (1)
Pied Wagtail 1
Chaffinch 1
Goldfinch 1


This young PIEWA was traipsing around after its father (presumed) on the back lawn and was being fed tiny flies, spiders and lacewings. My cat appeared on the scene and caused it to abandon lunch and score a direct hit on the 30 foot, second shelf. The cat came in for some ready packaged lunch and stayed for the afternoon in the easy chair.


Many of these young BLUTI have not been out of the nest long. The season here has been a protracted one with fledging spread over three or more weeks. The above shot shows the underwing and the exposed wing bones devoid of feathering for a little while longer. Eventually, usually starting in mid July, these young tits 'of all ages' (from 6 to 10 weeks) will start a body moult where the areas that currently are un-feathered will gain a full insulating covering.

Leaving aside the Blue Tits, the past 5 days have been epitomised by juvenile BLACA and more adult BLABI, this time the turn of the ladies.

Denise, meanwhile, has been inundated with baby SISKI ten miles west of here.

The only sign of summer is the increase in tourist traffic; to that end, a rather special loco is working the line three days a week but will be gone before the schools break up. 'Tornado', a full size replica of the LNER east coast line Pacifics, all of which were scapped!!!