Ringers: LL,CN, GK, CK, LM plus SzK and Saffy
Weather: Cold, breezy, cloudy.
Tapes: Chiffchaff, mixed warbler tape
|
Species
Name
|
Retraps
|
New
Birds
|
Total
|
|
Chiffchaff
|
2
|
6
|
8
|
|
Great Tit
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
Wren
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
|
Long-tailed Tit
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Dunnock
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Blue Tit
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
Blackcap
|
|
3
|
3
|
|
Bullfinch
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
Goldcrest
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
Treecreeper
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
Total
|
10
|
14
|
24
|
After some lovely weather during the week, Sunday was suddenly cold and annoyingly breezy. As there were quite a few of us there we put up most of the CES nets to check them plus a net in the reed bed and a one in the wood. A couple of Chiffchaff appeared as soon as we put on the tape lure and we watched them for a few minutes flying to and fro over the top of the net. A Black-tailed Godwit flew over spotted by LM. We were pleased to hear two Cetti's Warblers singing as there has been no sign of them for weeks; I had been worried they had all relocated to Wilstone!
The chiffs trickled in during the morning, short wing lengths indicated that at least half of them were female birds who usually arrive a little after the males. One of the retrapped Chiffchaff was bird that was ringed last April and is hopefully now returning to breed on site for a second year.
A flock of Swallows and Sand Martins appeared mid-morning flying north-east and Redwings stopped briefly in the tall poplars above our heads.
We caught an unusual Blackcap which made me look twice when I saw it in the net!! It was a first-year male and carrying quite a bit of fat (22.4g), it will be interesting to see if he stays around or carries on his journey. Studies suggest that birds store almost precisely the amount of fat they require to take them to their destination. So he should be moving on.
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