Happy New Year - from the Wet Country

Two thirds through the month of January and we've aleady had 125 mm of rain on top of the 176 mm that we had in December between the 15th and year-end. That's a FOOT of the wet stuff in 5 weeks! Four dry days, that's all! Rant over.

Dawn. "Sh1t - the rain it cometh ... again!"
(looking SSE at dawn, 08:20)

EOY "paperwork" sorted and submitted; permit renewal, ready for posting, lost in the upheaval of decorating our large, rambling hallway; downloaded another copy; plumbers replaced our corroded water main; didn't win the Lottery; need to, to pay for rings.

Nevertheless, I have managed to open the main net through the old part of the apple orchard on the odd occasions, if only for a couple of hours. Getting on for 80% of the catch of unringed birds  has been finches coming to the feeders. Mine have four feed outlets and this is just as well because the bottom pair clog up pretty quickly when it rains heavily. I am for ever having to take them in, clean them, discard the 'soggy stuff', dry the decent stuff (in the microwave), and refill them. Good job I don't pay top whack for my SFH and have spare feeders to boot.

2CY male Greenfinch with renewed P6
(the wide & bright yellow one)

2CY female Bullfinch with 4 ogc
(they all have 4 this year; last year it was 3)

Last year, in January I caught 29 new Goldfinches, and 32 the year before. In 2011, when there was snow on the ground, I ringed 131. This year, although wet, looks as if it will surpass the two previous years; fingers crossed. This January there are many more females utilising garden feeders than males. So far, it happens to be 72.5% females (to 27.5% males [one un-sexed]) or roughly 3 to 1. This is a reversal of what one would expect, certainly in East Anglia, where the females abmigrate, leaving the males behind. From a study I did in Bedfordshire the males "out-shone" the females by some 4 to 1 in January, and females only surpassed males at feeders in June/July/August, during the period that young were fledging. Perhaps this winter abmigration is not just to France & Iberia, but, whenever conditions are much milder than normal (such as we've been having recently) substantial numbers decide to remain in the South-west. [I'll look at previous years here and report back]

Adult female Goldfinch
(probably 4 years old - note broad, rounded PC)

Back to business - here's what has been achieved so far this month.
Blue Tit 2

Coal Tit (1)

Long-tailed Tit 2 (3)

Blackcap (1) - male, first caught on Xmas Day (17 days)

Wren (1)

Blackbird 2 (2) - new birds were both 2CY males; re-traps = semi-resident, young females

Redwing 1 - adult weighing 68 g, fat 10

Robin 2 (1)

Dunnock 3 

House Sparrow 1 (1) - "a couple" 

Chaffinch 5 - 5F, 5F, 6F, 6F, 6M

Greenfinch 4 - all 2CY, single female

Goldfinch 30 (11)

Siskin 4 - all 2CY, singleton male

Bullfinch 5 - all 2CY female

Totals = 61 new & 21 re-traps of 15 workaday species. No more recoveries to hand just yet.

May 2014 bring a steady flow of happiness to my fellow bloggers - plus a few, gentle surprises. Take good care.