The first Swift has arrived

Although it is only two weeks since the last blog, several things have been noticeable, not least the sight of my first Swift of 2015 earlier this afternoon, flying over the garden.

We have not done a lot of ringing, mainly because I had to take to my bed with a temperature but also because Steve came to put the management's new, hand-built potting shed up. So, most of these records refer to the week before last. The last few days have been cold and temperatures below average for the time of year. The signs corroborated this with birds of all species ransacking the food I put out like there was no tomorrow. There was to be one, because I was putting out good quantities of the stuff (SFH, suet, mealworms & sultanas) three times a day!

On the other hand, we did get in a couple of early sessions down the meadows. Day 1 was warm with bright sunshine, Day 2 was dull, damp and cold. We managed to catch the local male Dipper (unringed) and both adults of a pair of Kingfishers nesting nearby. The treat was handling the 2CY female Blackcap bearing 'Paris7851989' on both occasions, even though we were using a different net set-up. With a 79.5 mm wing and weighing in at 21.5 grams the second time (up 1.5 g), she was a big girl with no signs of carrying much fat or of a brood patch.

Paris Blackcap

Female Kingfisher

1st Sedge Warbler of 2015 (24/04)

Other birds of note down there were a pair of Bullfinch, the first Sedge of the year, my first Swallows, just one of the Willow Warblers, a female, and a couple of territorial male Blackcaps that were 'lean and mean'. Most of the other birds were trapped in the garden orchard, before I went down with the lurgi. There was little point after the shed was up as the weather had changed for the worse.

Ninety birds of which 59 are new ringings. This includes the next lot of infant Robins, the first 3JJ Dunnocks and the first of the newly fledged Greenfinches (this Thursday 30th). Still no signs of any young Blackbirds coming to our lawns.  

Woodpigeon - 1; a small, underweight but feisty bird in active wing moult (3 centres), the first one to "stick" this year.

Kingfisher - 2; a pair

Blue Tit - (1)

Great Tit - 1 (4);

Swallow - 2; now back at the stables in good numbers

Chiffchaff - 1

Willow Warbler - 4; passage seems to have stopped about a week ago

Blackcap - 6 (2); even split on sex

Sedge Warbler - 1

Wren - 2 (2); one 'eggy' female

Starling - (1)

Dipper - 1; territorial male

Blackbird - 3 (2)

Robin - 6 (2)

Dunnock - 2; young bird on 25th

House Sparrow - (3)

Chaffinch - 2 (2); mixed ages/sexes, male from 2013,

Bullfinch - 2; an unexpected 2CY pair

Greenfinch - 6 (4); 50% adult males, 2 birds from 2012

Goldfinch - 16 (8); two-thirds males, still some passage going on, weights >18 g

Siskin - 1; breeding female on 18th (BP4)

One bird missing off this list is Redstart - a calling individual was heard for about 30 minutes in the tops of the Ash trees while we were putting the roof on the shed.

[406:31]

Another beginning on the meadows

The sun shone without any rain in the air for 17 days during the last 3 weeks. Now the weather has broken and the hay that hadn't been brought in is flattened. So far it had been a bumper year of top quality hay. There may be a chance for a recovery this coming week. It'll make life easier for us to get around the meadows, that's for sure.

I digress. We, I say we because I can now get out with a trainee as I'm feeling up to it at last, made our first visit of the year to the local meadows yesterday. The work needed to open up some racks, both new and old, is daunting for these old bones though so we started simple - two nets in the trees and one across the stream.

But back to the beginning. I managed some garden ringing, both before and after our week-long trip to Penwith (the tip of Cornwall). Things started very slowly but by the time we got back, there were a lot of young birds independently on the wing. Naturally, quite a few of these succumbed to being ringed or though one or two thought otherwise.

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpeckers are easily recognised; two pointers are visible with the naked eye from a distance. They all have a "red top", whereas the adults are black-capped, and the under-tail coverts are a delicate shade of pink, not 'post office' red. Close up, you can notice a dull eye and small, white tips to the primaries, too.

Neighbour John, from the far end of the village (but a different parish), caught a Kestrel of mine  earlier in the week that was ringed as a full adult male (t'was nesting nearby). It had only shifted 1.8 km in the 331 days since its release. As I haven't seen it hardly at all this year (on my daily, repetitive walk), I assume it has chosen either another nest site or a new bride. On the same day, he ringed 'a large number' of young Blackcaps, one of which was in my hand by the stream on our first outing here 3 days later. The only species we handled that day were Kingfisher, Chiff., Blackcap, Grey Wag., Blackbird & Goldfinch. We did see a Jay and a Little Egret and heard a Dipper.

Aggregated list of 86 new birds ringed plus 13 ringed individuals, excluding the local inter-changes above, covers 19 species.

At long last - a juvenile Siskin

Kingfisher 2 - juvs

Gt. Spotted Woodpecker 2 - a 2CY female and a juv

Rook 1 - see below; 1 of several that come for food daily

Blue Tit 5 (4) - 1 moulting  2011 male; 3 juvs now in post-juv moult

Great Tit 7 (1) - juvs

Long-tailed Tit 17 - mix-and-match juvs

Chiffchaff 2 - juvs

Blackcap 5 - juvs + 2CY male

Wren 6 - juvs; part of a brood?

Blackbird 5 (1) - juvs; 4 girls, 2 boys

Robin 1 (2) - new bird was a juv just starting PJ moult (breast)

Dunnock 3 (1) - new juvs and a breeding female 

House Sparrow 10 - all this week - it's that time of year again! 1 ad. male

Pied Wagtail (1) - juv

Grey Wagtail 1 - a juv.

Chaffinch 1 (1) - juvs

Greenfinch 11 - 6 boys, 4 girls and a grandad

Goldfinch 6 (3) - the r/ts were all 2CY males

Siskin 1 - juv
Just 9 of these birds were adults. I doubt if any of the juveniles has had a chance to move more than a couple of miles yet so far this season. Even the Lottis!

Adult female Rook
This bird was in full wing moult and still had a bare but wrinkled brood patch

I/we look forward to a few decent sessions down on the meadows before the horses are turned loose from their summer paddocks. Although the site is divided into six fields, there are no gates and two fords! This is limiting in what we can usefully do. We'll have to hurry up and catch those young Kingfishers then! We'll let you know.

Someone's first Kingfisher?

Wake up to Whimbrel

The weather hasn't been all that conducive for ringing of late - and probably not for the birds, as well, while many are undergoing their annual moult in preparation for winter or a long journey south. Seven new birds in the garden/orchard and 12 new birds down at the meadows/stream is not a lot to show for eight days at, what should be, peak migration time.

Today, I noticed more Blackcaps around, 'ticcing' from the trees and hedgerows. Yesterday, we were lucky enough to see 14 Whimbrel just after dawn, in-off the Bristol Channel on their way to some resting and feeding spot further south. The birds were calling and flying in line-astern. The most noticeable event of the week was the number of newly fledged, and, as yet, unmoulted juvenile Wrens, six in all (or 25% of the catch!)

The lists: 

House - Blue Tit 1, Chiffchaff 1, Wren 3, Blackbird 1, House Sparrow (1) & Goldfinch 1. Every bird was a juvenile.

Juvenile Whitethroat

Farm - Kingfisher (2), Blue Tit 1, Long-tailed Tit 1, Chiffchaff 2, Blackcap 1 + a control, Whitethroat 1, Wren 3, Robin 1, Dunnock 1.

Juvenile (female) Kingfisher [retrap]

Again, all juveniles except the controlled Blackcap, which was an adult male and just over half way through its wing-moult. [Y922nnn if anybody's interested]

As I have family duties to attend to over the next three days, it will be the weekend before we get another chance for ringing or birding. I've also been told that the badger cull starts hereabouts next week, with pre-baiting already on the go.

A fortnight later ...

 Time flies when you're having fun. My fun has had to be split between getting the garden back into shape, now that we've had some significant rain, and getting out ringing. Actually, much of my time has been spent in the garden, either strimming and raking, treating the Horse-tail, mowing, light pruning, hedge trimming or ringing some birds.  

The highlights from the latter have been the catching of two parties of Long-tailed Tits. The first contained five new birds, all youngsters under-going a full moult (one of those odd UK species that does this), plus two adults with consecutive ring numbers that were not of my doing. Two days later, I caught four more youngsters, and then, a week after the initial encounter, two more ringed adults, and two juveniles from the original session. It turns out that all four of these adult birds were ringed at the same time, back in late October last year, in friend John's garden the far side of the village (approx. 2 km away)  

So here are the results from an hour or two most days, once the kittens have come in for their breakfasts. There is still not a lot of movement.
Blue Tit 1 (2)

Great Tit 2

Long-tailed Tit 9 + 4 "controls" (see above)

Chiffchaff 2 - local birds?

Wren 2 (1) - the retrap was a "first brood", the others more recent

Dunnock 4 (2) - all juvs

House Sparrow 7 (2) - mainly incidental to trying for the next species 

Pied Wagtail 7 (3) - the main target species, as they are still nesting nearby

Chaffinch 1 - juv

Greenfinch 3 - moulting male & female plus a 'youth'

Goldfinch 3 - freshly fledged juveniles

Young Pied Wagtail (M.a.yarelli)

House totals = 11 species, 41 new birds, 10 re-traps & 4 'controls'.
Oh! And the Sparrowhawk has been in twice. That's according to the heaps of feathers from two unlucky Collared Doves.

I have also been able to get down to the meadows, twice on my own and once with company. Quantity low, quality high. Birds not caught include two Green Sands, a couple of Dippers, more Kingfishers, several Whitethroats, Swallows and martins and the (three) Little Egrets currently there on a daily basis. Would love to catch and ring a full adult Egret. It has been done!

The Himalayan Balsam is flowering well down by the river and the bees are busy pollinating it, making sure there will be a plentiful supply of seed for next year. The Rose-bay Willow-herb is also coming into flower, a plant I much prefer.

Rose-bay

Today's photos are all from this sub-site.

Young female Kingfisher

Young female Chiffchaff (starting PJ moult)

young Sedge Warbler (fat score 30)

Kingfisher 3 (1) - all juveniles; "and still they come!" (10 so far)

Chiffchaff 7 - all juveniles, mostly males

Blackcap 1 - a 2CY male bird that hasn't started moulting; still breeding?

Sedge Warbler 1 - second bird here this year; fat score of 3 (tracheal pit almost full) and 12.6 grams in weight/mass; "on it's way south to Senegal (?)" This bird could easily put on another 10 grams before it is ready to fly out over the Atlantic in a non-stop flight to West Africa.

Wren 1 (1) - young males

Dunnock 1 - a juv-juv

Grey Wagtail 3 - new species for the year; these were all juveniles

one of the 3 young Grey Wagtails

Farm totals = 7 species, 17 new & 2 re-captures.

There are still plenty of birds to come but I won't wish my life away just yet!
Back soon.

The future looks bright!

Recently built & lined HOUMA nest

Not least because of this emblem of good luck that has appeared outside our bedroom window!

We have had a couple of sessions down at the meadows during the last week, but today I noticed that they had been in behind us and cut the hay, which was over 1 metre high in places. This bodes well as we can now get in to the whole site and, what's more, open up some old stream-side racks where there is more cover and little disturbance. Just in time for the Willow and Sedge Warblers to arrive.

For both sessions, we placed a 40' net across the ford and three nets "in the bushes" where we know we will catch - when the season picks up, that is. A third effort consisted of an early foray into the garden before the local workmen started about their business. The abnormally clear and hot weather is making the birds reticent to even come for food, our local Pied Wagtails being an exception.

Juvenile Kingfishe No.8

Kingfisher 5 (1) - all juvs.; makes 8 known young

Blue Tit 3 - all juvs
Great Tit 2 - both juvs
Chiffchaff 6 - all fluffy juveniles (and just a singleton female type)
Blackcap 6 (1) - the retrap a 5M ringed last year as a juv.; this had a growth on its left foot (see pic)
Whitethroat 2 - a 2CY pair nesting stream-side in Rosebay
Wren 3
Dipper 1 - another juv., this one starting to acquire its belly patch (see pic)
Blackbird 1 (3) - 2 males from August 2011 on the meadow
Robin 3 - all juvs. (see pic)
Dunnock (3) - incl. a known pair from summer 2011
House Sparrow 4 - 2 very recent fledglings (FL) & 2 juvs starting full moult
Greenfinch 1 (1) - presumed nesting pair, male a 5M when ringed, June 2011
Goldfinch 1 - a juv. (see pic)
14 spp, 38 new + 9 re-captures

Juveniles of - Dipper, Blackcap, Chiffchaff & Robin

I have had a look at this year's "Top Ten" and compared them with the previous two years, also at the 28 week stage.
Goldfinch 176 (104, 237)
Siskin 170 (19, 42)
Blackcap 84 (43, 79)
Willow Warbler 73 (33, 19)
House Sparrow 68 (35, 35)
Greenfinch 60 (49, 85)
Chiffchaff 53 (12, 63)
Blackbird 45 (28, 81)
Dunnock 22 (20, 30)
Blue Tit 21 (32, 91) 

Young, male Goldfinch 

The effects of last year's wet spring and summer can clearly be seen in some species, as can the fierce winter the year before. So far this year, things are not too bad. The Sparrows certainly love the drier weather and the heat.

More ringing - after I've done some "habitat management".

The beginning of Autumn?

During the week, small parties of Starlings have been spotted moving west to the moors. Numbering 6-10 for the most part, they have increased to noisy groups of up to 20 strong in the last two days. This is always a sign of approaching autumn and the closing stages of the breeding season. Another sure sign is the adult Robins beginning their annual, full moult.

However, many birds, including the Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Whitethroat are still in full song and preparing for more broods of young,  to add to the young that are already on the wing. These migratory species have a lot of catching up to do as "their spring" was very much delayed this year. They are all "thin on the ground" this year, as it is, thanks to last year's torrential rainfall.

Net across the ford

Good news. The Kingfishers have bred and produced independent young. Bad news (in a way). Another Herring Gull, them that breed on next door's roof, got caught in the garden mist net; the damage - just the loss of 8-9 net meshes (phew!). Oh, and a bad laceration to my left thumb!

Juvenile Kingfisher

On the garden front, we had a 'in tick'. No doubt attracted by the sheep in the field opposite, a 'pair' of Ravens popped in at 5.30 in the morning. We see them around the general area from time to time but not so close to the village proper. One of the local Buzzards has taken to visiting the orchard, and, if it tries to sit in the large Greengage tree (which is half dead), the nesting Herring Gulls harass it into the belt of Ash trees. They continue their racket, which usually alerts us, until it eventually gives up and moves elsewhere.

Totals for the week are:

Herring Gull 1 - the other one of the 'old-timers' pair

Woodpigeon 1 - in moult & not that heavy for a pig

Kingfisher 2 - juvs

Blue Tit 1

Great Tit 1 (1)

Chiffchaff 2 - juv female & adult male

Wren 1 - breeding female

Blackbird 1 (3)

Robin 2 (1)

House Sparrow 10 (1)

Pied Wagtail (1)

Chaffinch 1 - 2CY male

Greenfinch 3 (2)

New - 26, recaptures - 9, 13 spp.

Everlasting Pea flowering in our garden hedge

When I've cut out a few more racks, it's back down the meadow for another session before the European visitors arrive. Perhaps there will be more in the way of fledged youngsters?

P.S. (for Phil)
Here's the thumb damage, courtesy of HERGU.

Down on the meadows - at last!

Today we managed a session with 4 nets down at the meadows, staying within the home 1km square. We will move into the next 1km square (north) after we have had a session on the other side of the stream in the orchard and by the ruined mill. As yet, it is too early to catch much since the trees are only just beginning to flush green, the nettles are a mere 8-10cm high and the "policemans helmet" has also just germinated, showing its first pair of leaves.

The 9m net over the stream produced a new, 3CY or older, male Kingfisher at first light.

Full adult male Kingfisher

The 18m net further downstream (but not over water) caught a pair of 2CY birds later, the male of which was first caught last August, but was trapped alongside a different 2CY female just 10 days ago - a bit of a flirt or rejected in favour of another?

Another new 2CY female Kingfisher - note the amount of red on the lower mandible.
Compare the browny-green tinge to the head feathers with the bright blue of a full adult.

It wasn't a day for numbers as the season is only just beginning. One bird that did fall prey to our nets was an male Chiffchaff that had been ringed last July as an adult. It was one of 13 Chiffies that day and was caught 2 hours before the 3JF (juvenile female) that was controlled at Icklesham (E. Sussex) in mid September.

The returning adult male Chiffchaff - with 'pollen horn'

Including a short, unproductive "go" in the garden yesterday, we added the following to the year's total:
Kingfisher 2 (1)
Long-tailed Tit 1 (1)
Chiffchaff (1)
Wren 1 (3)
Dunnock 1 (1)

At the moment, we are catching more Wrens and Long-tailed Tits that we have done for a while now, just as they are getting down to choosing potential nest sites.

One of 3 2CY Wrens caught this week. Note abraded tail and contrasting flight feathers

The only other things of note were 3 Redpoll spp. in the Alders that moved off north and the finding of quite fresh Otter spraint in one of the more secluded net rides.

Supplementary: I went back and took a picture of the Otter poo the following day; it had dried out quite a bit in 24 hours. Here it is.

Good things come in twos.

It's been much of a muchness since my last blog. Somethings are moving, some others have gone and yet more are to arrive.

I have managed to ring in our small orchard on the even days of the week from sunrise 'til 10-ish, by which time the sun has risen quite a way and spotlighted the net(s). It has been steady and pretty reasonable for a small set-up like we have here. Things will improve as soon as we are able to return to the meadows, once the willows and alders sprout their leaves. But I'll probably catch a Chiffchaff in the garden before that happens.

2CY female Siskin

Noticeable was the pairs of Greenfinch that I caught every day. One day I was blessed with a male and female Siskin in the net inches apart, only the third and fourth of the year so far. Another day, three Goldfinches - although we had just had a cold, cloudless night. Not the local birds, since they all know the way to approach the feeders containing sunflower hearts and seldom make a mistake.

2CY male Siskin

Another duo, this time of female Blackbirds, found the short net across our small shrubbery. So far this winter I have ringed or retrapped 25 male Blackbirds, but, with these two, just 13 female birds. There's something going on here but, as yet, I have not fathomed it out. There are also twice as many 2CY birds as full adults (Euring class 6) of both sexes, which is about par for this time of year - if the previous breeding season was a good one.

So, this week's tally comes to 18 new (&9 r/t) of 11 spp.:
Woodpigeon (1) - a very fat male!
Great Tit 2
Blackcap (1) - the long-staying female from the New Year
Blackbird 2 (3)
Robin (2)
Dunnock 1 (1)
House Sparrow 1
Chaffinch 1
Greenfinch 6 (1) - r/t was originally caught in mid-Jan 2011 as a 6M
Goldfinch 3
Siskin 2

However, the week didn't end there.
My new trainee was back from Cuba and wanted to brave the colder air. So, in order to get a feel for the impending spring, I set four nets in one of the meadows the night before. We didn't bargain for the weather, though! Fog had been forecast most mornings but there had been no signs of it in the village, but we could see it capping the top of the Quantocks. Today proved otherwise; dense, wet FOG, hanging on the nets that I had put up the night before. We were right cheesed off but stuck it out. Just as well we did, because our first "hit" was a pair of 2CY Kingfishers, the male being one I ringed here last August when it still had 'brown legs'. They were busy all morning defending their territory downstream of the bridge, once released.

2CY Kingfishers - male above, female below

The rest of the session was rather rubbish, as one would expect in the circumstances but it did give us a chance to have a 'recce' prior to the season kicking off. 8 VTOL Redwing departed at first light, a Song Thrush sang non-stop for 4 hours and a Dipper 'buzzed' through. As I was packing up, a hungry Chiff was hunting spiders in the cracks of the stone walls beside the bridge.

GT = 5 new (&5 r/t)
Kingfisher 1 (1) - new female
Blue Tit 1 (1)
Great Tit 1 (2)
Wren 1
Dunnock 1 (1)
... and the nets are in the airing cupboard - along with my boots!

Here's to Spring! [summer-time starts in a fortnight!!!] I expect it will arrive with gales and rain! [I'm usually an optimist] We'll see!

More of a seaside tan

The weather looked promising. However! It was a cool night with broken cloud and wind from the north. When the nets were up at 5am (BST), there were precious few birds about, just a mewing Buzzard, a noisy Song Thrush, the local Rooks making their way to the tip and the Herring Gulls squawking on the factory roofs. A Chiff hurtled into net 1 ... and hurtled back out again. That was it. The sun was up an hour later and shone brightly, too brightly for my liking. And that cold north wind also picked up, streaming across this flat, open site. Cooked one side, chilled the other.


The beginning of a lovely day - but not for ringing.

Generally, there were far less birds about in the vegetation. Either the majority had moved on in the last night or two, or they had cleared out of the way of that 'evil bastard' that had given them 'a right going over' the other day.

By 10am, the nets were highly visible and starting to blow. It was time to pack up and go home. I did manage to catch 12 new birds and 5 retraps from earlier in the week.

Kingfisher (1)
Long-tailed Tit 2
Blackcap 2 (3)
Whitethroat 3 (1)
Chiffchaff 2
Willow Warbler 1
Goldfinch 2

Weights of the retraps were down a smidgin on last time. A couple of the post juvenile stage Blackcaps were starting to put on some weight but there was no signs of fat deposition as yet.


"Fan-tailed" Willow Warbler - wind assisted.

I intend to look at another piece of 'dead ground' during the week, that will mean going in another way and then being restricted from reaching the rest of the site. It has certain possibilities, especially when the horses are turned out to graze after the hay cut.

Well Chiffed!

Starting at 5 o'clock, the weather was admirable for ringing, sort of grey at 6 oktas. Not that many birds were awake and moving around searching for breakfast - a Song Thrush was first off the mark, a male just starting its full moult. A Dipper 'purred' overhead and dropped into the stream. Soon there was a smattering of young birds on the wing and falling prey to my three nets, Blackcap, Wren, Dunnock, Chiffchaff and, best of all, another young Kingfisher in Net 1.


Juvenile (female) Kingfisher

Net 2 started well with a family party of Whitethroats but faded after a couple of Chiffs and a Willow Warbler once the sun got up and exposed the netting.

I had set a 60' in a new site among the group of mature apple trees the other side of the stream where it would intercept, hopefully, some birds as they worked their way along the banks of "Policeman's Helmet" [Impatiens glandulifera - a noxious weed much loved by bees and insects] that line the stream. Finally, at about 7 o'clock, it took a good hit with a mix of species. This included a juvenile retrap Great Tit and an adult Blue Tit in heavy moult that was originally ringed in the garden back in mid-March. This net continued to pull in the Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs until I decided to abandon the session as the wind had picked up considerebly.

Back at Net 1, yet another Kingfisher to finish the morning.

After lunch, the wind had ameliorated and I went back to the "Apple net" to see what passed through as often birds move again about an hour or two after sidereal noon. It gave me a chance to sit and watch how the moving birds behaved, with the possibility of positioning a net to intercept them some other day. It turned out to be a good 90 minutes with some new Chiffs for ringing.


The sole juvenile male Chiffchaff of the day


Today's numbers covering 12 species were:
Kingfisher 2
Blue Tit 1 (1)
Great Tit 2 (1)
Chiffchaff 9 (1) - a preponderance of females today
Willow Warbler 1
Blackcap 7
Whitethroat 6 (1)
Wren 2
Blackbird (1)
Song Thrush 1
Dunnock 2
Goldfinch 1 - my first juvenile of 2011

Total 34 (5)

Not one, but two side-by-side

Managed to inveigle the "part-time assistant" into venturing down to the water meadows for a spot of pole holding last evening before it got dark. Set and furled 3x 40 foot nets ready for this morning's dawn "raid".

I was operational by 5am when the sun was beginning to brighten the place up. A family party of Ravens came up the valley (the coastal cliffs are barely a mile away) heading for the Quantocks. At 5.30, the sun peeped over the hill and a muffled clanking came from the railway sidings as the fire was raked out from a visiting loco for the start of another day. The grass was wet with a heavy dew. A Tufted Duck flew upstream. The Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were stirring, too.

The next round ( the three nets are widely spaced apart) found a net bent in two with the weight of an "obese" male Woodpigeon; my scales shot to the bottom with a wallop and so a 'dash' was entered in the weight column of my note book. Dark smoke started to issue from the Pacific locomotive.

70000 'Britannia' - due to run as a light engine until it's inspection is completed

A Grey Heron called 'frark' as it lifted from the trees, possible annoyed by the incessant piping of the young, fledgling Greenfinches. After processing a bunch of warblers, it was time to return to the "woodpigeon net". Well,well, TWO Kingfishers, side by side, about 4 inches (10 cm) apart in the middle shelf. These birds were both 'birds of the year' (juveniles, age 3 or HY)

Kingfisher 1, bill starting to show 'red' = female

Kingfisher 2, bill all black & smaller bird = unsexed

On the way back to the ringing table (i.e. boot of the car), 2 Grey Wagtails showed excitedly along the stream, and the first Swallow of the day swooped over the wet grass which was beginning to 'buzz' with Meadow Browns and grasshoppers. The next net also held a 'twosome', namely an adult and a juvenile Song Thrush.
By 8.30, I had reached 30 birds, the hiss of steam started to come from the loco and the local Buzzard was on the wing.

No sign of the Little Egret this morning (seen Friday), just a Cormorant sat atop the electricity pylon. Come 9.30, the engineer had enough steam up to blow the engine's whistle and this also signalled the end of the session for me. Generally a quieter pattern had set in, except for the excited 'chatter of the Linnets, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Yellowhammers. At least two of these (the first and last) ought to make the totals list before too long.

As it was, 37 new birds and (1) retrap:
Woodpigeon 1 ad male
Kingfisher 2 juvs
Blue Tit 1 juv
Great Tit 1 juv
Long-tailed Tit 2 juvs
Chiffchaff 6 - all juvs., 4 males, 2 fem.
Blackcap 11 (1) - 9 juvs, 2 males + 1 r/t fem
Whitethroat 4 - 3 juvs + 1 fem.
Wren 1 adult
Blackbird 2 adults
Song Thrush 2 - 1 ad. + 1 juv
Robin 1 juv
Dunnock 3 adults