Back to normal?

After such a long time with night-time frosts and glorious, sunny days that were very warm for the time of year, we are now back to more normal weather. The temperatures are down to seasonal norms and there are clouds - or a blanket of cloud - in the sky. This should bode better for our hobby of bird-catching and bird-ringing. However, there are not many early migrants coming through as most have 'zipped' past at high altitude while the weather was in their favour.

Soon, the bulk of the warblers will be coming to us, most probably around or a little after Easter. Hopefully, the herb layer will be growing 'like mad' and the trees will be in full leave, enabling us to get some camouflage for the nets. We need some rain to liven things up.

Back to the recent past. My hand is healing (stitches out), if a little sore, and weeping slightly. Have, therefore, been confined to the garden - but it's all "regulars", as the totals will show. Many of the "locals" are also well aware of where I put the nets, even when I shift them about to try and improve the situation.

Since the one and only Willow Warbler that turned out to be a Norfolk bred bird (just like 'her indoors'), there has been little in the way of "new arrivals", just 9, in fact. This compares with 14 re-traps, which helped to bulk up the species total for the last few days to 13. This represents half of the weekly species that we are able to submit to the BTO's Garden Bird Watch.

(Unseasonal) male Blackbird (per Dave B)

Goldcrest (1) - the female of the pair
Blue Tit (1)
Great Tit 1 (1) - the garden pair, she with a good BP
Blackcap 2 (1) - all males
Wren 1
Blackbird (1)
Song Thrush (1)
Robin (1) - an eggy female
Dunnock (4) - that's 2 of the 3+ pairs!
House Sparrow (1) - a 2cY female without BP
Chaffinch (1) - 2CY female in egg
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 4 (1) - all pretty lean

Decided, unwisely as it happens, to see if there were any migrants grounded by the overnight, cloudy, conditions. Turned out to be a big NO. [Portland BO hogged them all - they ringed over 600 birds today. ] We did see 3 Swallows and 3 Smarties flying towards the Bristol Channel at full pelt around 8.30 and 3 Siskins passed through around 11.00. No Dippers, Kingfishers, Little Egberts, a Chiff singing in the tree-top above us, one Moorhen and two drake Mallard were our lot.

We caught a mere 7 birds for our pains:
Wren 1 (1)
Blackbird 1 (1)
Chaffinch 1
Bullfinch (2) - the pair originally caught in the garden.

Just to rub it in, I had a flat battery; fortunately it recovered with a quick trickle charge.