Plenty Spring Chiffin

Well, another week has gone by so I need to put pen to paper - or bash the keyboard in modern parlance.

The Equinox weather is not as kind as last year; we are suffering minus 5 at night and, if the sun shines, plus 5 during early afternoon. The wind continues to come from the east or north-east and only occasionally drops to "light air". We also had 35mm of rain on 21st/22nd and a light drop of snow this morning. Compared to counties further north and east, we are positively 'balmy'. At least the roads are clear, very clear.

Vismig wise, Stock Doves and Meadow Pipits seem to be all that is happening, although I did hear a Curlew calling from the hill. Every day the garden has played host to between 3 and 7 Chiffchaffs, not all of which have found the net (can't put them everywhere!). Over the last few days, Blackcaps have started to appear, too. As far as I can tell, all the birds of both species which are passing through here are males. Females usually appear some 7-10 days later; we'll have to wait and see. I am also expecting to extract the first Willow Warbler sometime next week. The Apple trees want to blossom but it's so cold for the time of year.

I was given a fresh Sparrowhawk that had flown into some garden furniture. No ring.

Things are beginning to even up on the Siskin front. Previously, there has been a heavy preponderance towards adults and a bias for males. More recently the imbalance between full adult and 2CY has reduced (7:5), and it's the same for the sexes (M:F). They had a shocking breeding season last year round here (prolonged rain and felling of much larch affected by Phytophthora), so a shortage of "virgin" birds is to be expected. 100 Siskin in total ringed so far this year compares favourably with 40 last year and 43 the year before. And controlled birds, too!

Goldcrest - 1, a passing male
Blue Tit - (1)
Great Tit - (1)
Long-tailed Tit - (2), obviously a pair
Chiffchaff - 15, all with wing lengths from 61-66mm, no obvious 5's (2CY)
Blackcap - 6 (1) + 1 control, new birds were all males except the one 2CY; re-trap was one of our over-wintering females, control L293404 of as yet unknown origin.
Blackbird - 1 (1), both males, the females are on eggs but visit at dawn for a sultana or two
Robin - (2), both last year's youngsters, the ladies are on eggs somewhere
Dunnock - (3), courtship activity has slackened over the week
Chaffinch - female with 'scaly leg' not ringed
Greenfinch - 1
Goldfinch - 5 (2),
Siskin - 10 + 2 controls, 1 from the other side of the village (2km W) more than once, and 1 as yet unrecognised male L869461
 Total = 40 + 13 re-captures + 3 controls

Male Blackcap - spring

We have frog spawn! Fortunately, the pond is close to the house and doesn't often freeze over.

Slow, slow, stop!

Not much of a week as it turned from "bland & cold" to "wintery & colder". On Friday, we copped the snow and it dumped between 3-4 cm of the wet stuff over the village during daylight. This turned into 14 mm of 'precipitation' in the rain guage. Everywhere is well and truly sodden at the moment and the grass turns to mud as you walk on it.

View from study (winter ringing room) am, Fri 18-01-13

I kept a couple of nets open - when I could attend to them - and finally ended up with 10 species, comprising 16 new and 14 'previous' for the 7-day slot. Fortunately, there was very little wind, although the coming days promise something different (stiff and cold easterlies).

Woodpigeon 1 - a big, fat (>600 gm) male

Great Tit (2)

Blackcap (2) - 1 of the males & 1 of the females of those 5 present daily

Blackbird 1 (2) - incl. a female not seen since last spring

Dunnock 1 (2) - another pair avoids the netting area

Chaffinch 3 (1) - at least 3 other unringed birds present

Greenfinch 2 (1)

Goldfinch 6 (2) - still they come!

Siskin 2 (1) 

Bullfinch (2) - and friends; probably eating the buds on our apple trees

As well as the above, the garden played host to the local pair of Herring Gulls (already tarting up their nest), a lone Black-headed Gull, two pairs of Collared Dove and their off-spring, a pair of Goldcrests, Blue Tits, Wrens, a Fieldfare in the snow and two pairs of Robin. Walking down to the meadows there was very little on show, but a couple of Fieldfare made a vanguard appearance. I also noted 6 Little Egrets feeding together in one of the sodden paddocks.

Looks like we'll be getting a different flood next week - of thrushes avoiding the forecast snow up country.

Trunk packed

The "busy" A39 Trunk road at 2pm on Monday, Williton.


It had stopped snowing for a while. In the early hours of daylight, it came down thick and fast. By late morning, we had had 16cm; the light showers during the afternoon added another 1cm. The traffic was extremely light, partly because the schools had closed for the Christmas recess.

The birds, mostly four species of finch (Chaffinch, Brambling Goldfinch & Greenfinch) kept taking to the apple trees; they were being spooked by something, but it certainly wasn't passing vehicles. The large Pyracantha next door was laden with berries yesterday; by this afternoon, 4 Fieldfare and 4 Redwing, with a little help from one or two Blackbirds, had stripped it bare! I topped up the SFH feeders twice today - perhaps I should ask the government for a bigger pension!

Won't be going anywhere fast in this weather; they predict we've got 2 more days before it gets any better, i.e. warmer. We are luckier here than many - back in Bedford, it's alot colder. He he!

So, for now, it's "A Merry Christmas" to all my readers.