Bacon Butties

Don’t worry, you didn’t press the wrong button. This is "Another Bird Blog" but with one more culinary reference. Regular readers will know that mention of bacon butties means a ringing session near Garstang in Will’s garden where a Ringer’s Winter Breakfast of that peculiarly British invention together with regular doses of hot coffee is compulsory. Thanks Sue, hope you enjoyed the birds as much as we enjoyed the breakfast.

Ringer's Breakfast

Whilst the sarnie provided bodily sustenance for Will and I during a light lull in proceedings, the equivalent feast of finches kept us otherwise fairly busy from 0730 until 1130. Siskins arrived from their roost in the half light which enabled us to catch six on the first walk to the nets, together with an early Chaffinch.

Male Siskin

Female Siskin

Whilst the Siskin seemed keen to grab an early bite of nyger seed, the Chaffinch were slower to both arrive or to stay around but we did catch some of them, plus Goldfinch and Greenfinch to give a total of 35 birds of which 24 were finches.

Siskin 8
Greenfinch 3
Chaffinch 11
Goldfinch 2
Coal Tit 4
Robin 1
Blackbird 2
Dunnock 1
Nuthatch 1
Collared Dove 2

Male Greenfinch

Coal Tit

Collared Dove

We also caught a one-legged Robin, one perfectly healthy leg and an old healed stump near the knee joint – most unusual. Naturally we didn’t ring this bird but with being in Will’s garden he may be able to keep track of Hopalong's further survival.

Robin

Other birds noted this morning included 2 Nuthatch, 5 Collared Dove, 1 Brambling, 1 Kestrel, a male Sparrowhawk that shot through the garden, and a Buzzard in the field beyond being harassed by Carrion Crows.

By the way, Will likes to go to work on an egg as well.

BB Regular or BB plus Egg