Busy doing nothing

Wednesday evening, we went to look for Nightjars on Exmoor. At a site where they are usually seen, we put two nets up. We switched the lure on and off and on and off until it was pitch black. Nothing. It was late in the season and the weather has been poor of late so we suspect that the birds left early, after rearing just the one brood during that glorious month of June 2011.

On Thursday, in the garden, it was "the return of the re-traps"; by this I mean that the locally breeding birds and their offspring are beginning to be more conspicuous and can't help falling in the nets just to tease me. I haven't got a full set-up yet, as I need the poles elsewhere. That problem will be solved (with a few blisters and some sticky fingers) shortly. The eventual outcome will be new 24, 2 section poles, enough for 6 nets here and 6 down at the water meadows.

Blue Tit (1)
Great Tit (2)
Long-tailed Tit (1)
Chiffchaff 1
Wren 1 (1)
Robin 1 (2)
Dunnock (1)
House Sparrow 1
Blackbird 2
Goldfinch 3 (2)

Total 9 (10)

The aluminium tube for the new poles arrived yesterday - I went to buy a pipe-cutter.



Today, Friday, was a dull day. Overnight the temperature slumped to 16C and hardly picked up from there. None of the water meadow nets did much early on, probably because it was still "dark", but they did "try harder" later.

The stream was the busiest place this morning. Every time I crossed it, I spooked a silent Dipper. Kingfishers were noisy today but not as noisy as a Green sandpiper that dropped in for a quick poke amongst the pebbles. At one point a group of passing Swallows dropped in for a drink and a very quick "wash-and-brush-up". The orchard net (which is positioned on the meadow across the stream) managed to trap a second juvenile Dipper, probably the same one that I kept disturbing.





Juvenile Dipper undergoing PJ moult - head (top), belly, undertail, wing/mantle (bottom).

I kept going until I knew that the young girls from the riding stables would be coming; they do this alot during school holidays. To avoid any problems, I put the dog safely in the car whilst I took down. Sure enough, they rolled up just as I had shut Net 1 and was processing the last birds. Not the best of mornings but all "grist to the mill", nonetheless.

Blue Tit (1)
Great tit 3
Long-tailed Tit (1)
Chiffchaff 4
Willow Warbler 1
Blackcap 4 (2)
Whitethroat 1
Wren 1
Dipper 1
Blackbird 2
Dunnock 1
Chaffinch 1

Total 19 (4) and all juveniles. A couple of the Blackcaps were well advanced with their PJ moult but had not put on any fat ready for migration.


Juvenile female (3P) Willow Warbler.