Cor - In a Flap.

After our poor showing down at the Daffodil field the day the birds were halted at the south coast by a weather front, things took a turn for the better yesterday (3rd) in the garden. It seems that migration had resumed inland and I was able to capture 10 new birds in a couple of nets at the bottom of the garden before the sun came out.

First up, with the Blackbird and the Chiff, were a couple of Blackcaps. The "lady bird" was very heavy and I got the "have you made a mistake" message drop down as I entered the data. She weighed 24g and was carrying plenty of fat (ESF45/50). The other was a male but he could only scrape 19.5g and a fat score of ESF 20. These are the first real migrant Blackcaps that I have recorded in the garden/area this year. Whether my other two birds that have spent most of the winter here are still about remains to be seen.


Tuesday's round-up:
Chiffchaff 1 - a female, 1st of the year
Blackcap 2 - (see above)
Blackbird 1 - a new 6M; where do they keep coming from?
Robin (1) - a 2CY male that appeared in the New Year
Chaffinch 1 - a male
Greenfinch 1 - an 'overweight' 2CY male with 2 primaries replaced
Goldfinch 4 - both sexes, all with some fat

Today (Weds) was a different kettle of fish. The skies were leaden, it spitted light rain from time to time, the wind was in the north-east and freshening. Undeterred, I openned the orchard net early as it is somewhat sheltered from that wind direction - for a while, at least - and eventually bagged me a personal West Somerset ringing tick. Two Rooks ventured onto the bird table, after my sunflower hearts naturally, but when spooked, one rose over the net, which is some 25' (8m) away, but the other kept low and pocketed successfully in the bottom shelf.


I took all the usual measurements on the Rook, but forgot to sex the bird in my haste to take the above photo of it. Old age creeping on, that's what I say. A little later, a Jackdaw attacked the fat balls and, when it left off, it, too, hit the net but wriggled free from mid-net, which is quite usual for this chunky little corvid. It would have been the 2nd for the site if it had stuck. That was it before the long awaited rain set in. So this cold spell and an ill wind has blown me some good. Ha ha.