Non-stick flying plan

As well as the three, usual nets, I put up a full height 30 foot across the stream at the ford today. First up was a small wader. It must have brushed the underside of the netting as it call repeatedly but did not fly off with a big kerfuffle. It wasn't the Green Sand. that has been around for a couple of weeks, so it might have been a Common Sand. (most likely at this time). Sometime later I saw a Kingfisher pass safely under. Then a female Goldcrest, mid-stream and top shelf; gotcha!

In between net rounds, I took out a trickle of Long-tailed Tits that had been hanging around in the big Alders just upstream of the ford. Similarly, I bagged a juvenile Chiff and a juvvy Willow Warbler, both in the second shelf (from the top) and more or less centred.

Elsewhere, the orchard net did not produce much; a "Prune", a young Song Thrush and a control, juvenile Chiffy. This had come from neighbouring ringer, John, two kilometers to the west, the first recapture of the many young birds that he has ringed this summer. We both thought that there would have been more birds coming my way, but, alas, no. I have decided to abandon ringing in among the Apples during post-fledging migration time as it seems that more birds can be caught "out in the open" as they approach the trees, maybe because they are on a lower trajectory as they come in.

Net 1 produced little although there were many birds in that general area. One reason for a poor result was having to shut the net early when the showers started as I couldn't keep a close eye on all four nets. Net 2 produced quite a few Chiffs and a miscellany of other species. I could walk backwards and forwards between this net, the ford and the orchard on the other side, passing "the ringing station" without going out of the way. This avoided any problems.

Apart from the Goldcrest, I had a couple of other 'successes'; I caught the first adult Willow Warbler of the 'autumn'. It had, to all intents and purposes, finished its full post-nuptial moult [see below]. The other was my sixth juvenile Kingfisher in as many weeks, this one just as I was about to take in the ford net, all other nets by now in the boot of the car.


Adult, male Willow Warbler, August

Ahead of this, returning from the orchard, net bag in hand, I noticed that the ford net was 'hanging funny'. I couldn't see anything in it, but as I approached, a flapping started and this "large brown thing" rose up and down and eventually got enough lift to dis-engage its feet and fly off over the net. I later saw this female Sparrowhawk hanging around the site of Net 1, where there was alot of twittering, etc. Bloomin' showers!

Twenty new birds in a few hours, dodging the showers, with 7 re-captures; ten species in all.

Kingfisher 1
Goldcrest 1
Blue Tit 1
Long-tailed Tit 2 (3)
Chiffchaff 8 (1 + 1 control)
Willow Warbler 2
Blackcap 1
Wren (1)
Song Thrush 1
Dunnock 3 (2)


'D' permit holder