February starts green and gold.

The wintry weather since my last blog has not done much for the art of bird-catching. The enemy has been the strong winds and their friend, the rain.

I made use of this poor interlude to visit family in Bedfordshire and to meet up with Martin Garner and Tormd Amundsen on their UK tour. Not having been to a Beds Bird Club meeting for over two years now, it was inevitable that I would be teased by my many friends of times past, all in good humour. It has been less wet since returning home but, boy, has the wind been a problem combined with the low temperatures. 

The hundreds of thrushes have left the horse paddocks by the river, leaving the dozen or so Blackbirds in possesion and in peace. More recent notable sightings have included a Red Kite, a Green Woodpecker, the Magpies lining their nest (which they built a month ago), a silent Chiffchaff, the usual Egrets and the return of a Grey Heron working the river, now that the waters are receeding. The real "red letter" was a noisy Kingfisher, which, between us, we have only seen once since last April; the floods have created some suitable, if rather soft, banks for a possible nest. Perhaps they will return this spring and raise young again.

Nonetheless, I have been able to open a sheltered single 60', with the 1st and 3rd being the better catching days. Otherwise, it's been grab a couple of hours after sunrise or after lunch - and hope for the best.  During this period, I did manage a "first" for me; I controlled an adult male Siskin, albeit from Denise just 14km to the west under the edge of Exmoor. Previously, I have had just two recoveries, both long-distance, of the species many moons ago, so this was a real bonus. Perhaps there will be more.

Two species took overwhelming precedence, just two others were also ringed, plus a further five species "fell in" as retraps. All revealed now. (All different birds)

Blue Tit (1)

Blackcap (2) - the 'left-leg pair'; the 'right-leg' pair' also present

Blackbird (1)

Robin (2)

Dunnock 1 (2)

Chaffinch 2 - 'big' birds

Goldfinch 21 (3) - 50/50 on age; 20 male, 4 female (significant).

Siskin 21 (1) - 73% were 2CY; 12 males, 10 females

Bullfinch (2) the 2 adult females, both showing the beginnings of a brood patch

New = 45, recaptured = 13

2CY male

The ratio of Goldfinch males to females at this time of year falls in line with previous work I have done on the species in a different part of the country. Three of the four females were full adults. February seems to be Siskin catching time, while new Goldfinches should feature heavily until the end of April (mean egg laying date 27 April).

3CY Female