Weather cold, calm, damp.
Ringers LL, GK, EJB
Nets 400'
|
New birds
|
Retraps
|
Total
|
Blue Tit
|
1
|
|
1
|
Chiffchaff
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
Goldcrest
|
|
2
|
2
|
Reed Bunting
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
3
|
5
|
8
|
Finally managed to get out for some ringing at Marsworth. Everywhere is very damp with few signs of spring and it took a while to get the nets up because in most cases we had to unearth poles and guys. Catching was very slow, even by the seed hopper it was only in the last round that we caught a reed bunting. We did see birds in the area but by this time of year I think they have learnt where the nets are. There were also a few sad little piles of reed bunting feathers indicating the sparrowhawk has been busy. We were pleased to catch a few Chiffchaffs though and three of them were retraps - one bird was ringed in 2016 as a 3J and retrapped last year on 23rd April, and the other two were both ringed as 3Js last year - one in June and one from a late brood on 3rd September. All four Chiffchaffs were probably male, based on their wing length, but none showed any sign of breeding yet - unsurprising given the wintry conditions.
We spent some time putting the nets back in position ready for the CES season which is only a few weeks away. There was a massive wasp's nest in the Tawny Owl (Stock Dove) box, after some debate we decided that there would not be any wasps in it now and nominated Gabor to pull it out while the rest of us tried not to look like we were getting ready to run.
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