The Weekend Starts Here

It had been 9 days since our last ringing session, far from ideal in July when we aim to catch good numbers of local birds both adults and juveniles during their post breeding dispersal before migration proper begins. But if the weather prevents us getting out there’s not a lot to do except watch and study endless weather forecasts on TV or the Internet. After all the safety and welfare of birds is the priority and we cannot mist net in rain and/or windy conditions.

But a spot on forecast last night saw Will and me at Rawcliffe Moss again at 5am. I must say that all the members of our ringing group religiously and regularly work our sites, as testified by the group’s total over the years of more than 105,000 birds handled locally. No one could ever accuse us of being “twitch ringers”.

As I drove up the track I took my obligatory sunrise shot of a very red sky, and whilst I had driven through a few areas of drizzle I wasn’t too concerned that the old saying “Red Sky in the Morning, Shepherd’s Warning” might come true. Over distant fields a Barn Owl hunted to the calls of an equally distant Quail, but close to the ringing site alongside the overgrown drainage ditch a Grasshopper Warbler reeled, as it did on and off for the next three hours. The light was enough to see two Roe Deer, above their shoulders buried in the wheat field, but it was time to set the usual 96 metres of net, taking care first not to sink vehicles into peat saturated by the previous week’s deluges.

After The Rains
Early Doors
In total we caught 40 birds of 13 species, 32 new birds and 8 recaptures. New birds:
6 Willow Warbler. 2 juvenile and 4 adults, the adults all in main moult.
1 Robin
1 Reed Bunting
1 Reed Warbler
6 Goldfinch, all juveniles.
4 Sedge Warbler
1 Song Thrush
1 Chaffinch
2 Great Tit
1 Chiffchaff
8 Whitethroat.
At this site in 2010, including the 8 birds above, we have 83 Whitethroat captures, 56 new birds and 27 retrap records.
Recaptures today:
2 Willow Warblers, 4 Whitethroat, 1 Blue Tit and 1 Blackbird.

Willow Warbler
Willow Warbler-Tail Moult
Willow Warbler-Wing Moult
Reed Warbler
Chiffchaff
Blackbird

Visible migration today was virtually nil on this inland site. We noted about 25 Swallows and several House Martins heading south as distinct from local feeding birds but “otherwise” birds included 4 Buzzards, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 10 Stock Dove and 12 Linnets.

All in all a very satisfying session and it’s still only Friday.