20 years apart

Ringing here at the moment is turning out to be a tad on the slow side. This is due to the weather, which is just a shade too windy to be safe down at the water meadows' open orchard. Whilst workmen have been doing various things to the house, I have managed to trap a few birds with a 60' in our orchard which is sheltered to some extent, depending on the wind direction.

Garden birds:

Collared Dove 1
Goldcrest 1
Blue Tit 2 (1)
Great Tit (1)
Long-tailed Tit (2)
Blackbird 1
Goldfinch 1
Total: 6 (4) of 7 spp.

The autumn migration of thrushes and finches doesn't seem to have reached us here yet in West Somerset. At the weekend, I know that numbers of Redwings and a few Fieldfares showed up inland in East Anglia. Tonight is a full moon and the wind is turning south-easterly and light and it is expected that there will be an influx of migrants from the continent under these starlit conditions.

Talking of which, 20 years ago today, I also went ringing, this time in a 2 acre plot within the country park that I was destined to work in some time later. This also turned up 7 spp.

Wren 1 (2)
Blackbird (3)
Song Thrush (1)
Robin 3
Dunnock 3
Bullfinch (1)
and the the big surprise, a Radde's Warbler.

This was the first, truly inland record, a previous bird having been caught just 6km from the coast, where as we were 110km from the Essex coast, 130km from Cley and 150km from Great Yarmouth, all likely points of entry.

We have had to take down the last of 3 conifers which were extemely close to the house. This means that we won't be having Coal Tit and Goldcrest singing outside our bedroom window any more. There are pine and spruce trees over the road in a friend's garden, so they won't disappear altogether.
Going ...
Gone!

We have been having some wonderful sunrises lately and I leave you with just one of them.