Another birdless day with heavy rain this morning followed by strong winds. Apart from the Blackbirds, Collared Doves and a few Chaffinch, even the garden birds have dried up because there’s enough natural food around to keep them occupied without venturing into our garden.
A week or two ago I posted a pretty poor photograph of a distant colour ringed Common Sandpiper I found at Conder Green on July 17th during the period when good numbers were showing in the area and elsewhere. Below is the photograph I posted at the time.
It took a little sorting out, mainly because either an additional ring was not visible or I had failed to notice that as well as both red and yellow colour rings and a metal BTO ring, there was the additional white ring above the knee. It seems the bird was ringed on August 3rd 2003 at the same place, Conder Green. Even my basic mathematical skills tell me that 7 years later the bird returned to the same place, as it probably had done in every intervening year.
The link here http://blx1.bto.org/euring/main/ is where to report details of ringed birds in Europe of all types of ring, including colour rings, numbered or lettered rings and even pigeon rings! The latter phone call is the one that I often receive from members of the public, but someday soon I hope for a Starling thrashing about behind a fireplace that when rescued will wear an Eastern European ring. This happened to a friend of mine some years back who just happened to be a ringer.
My thanks for sorting out the Common Sandpiper details go to Phil Holland and Andre Thiel.
Postscript: The same Common Sandpiper was subsequently recorded at Conder Green by PW on 22nd July
And here is a slightly better photograph of a Common Sandpiper but I’m still hoping and trying.
Hadn't realised it was the same CS Phil, the colour in the pic doesn't look too much like a yellow one....or am I overdue a visit to the opticians?
ReplyDeleteThat chaffinch is awfully cute! And the collared dove looks just like my daughter's pet dove, Bob!! He's twenty years old and doesn't show any signs of age, at all.
ReplyDeleteI think that sandpiper is gorgeous. What is the bird in your blog title - a type of sandpiper? It's beautiful.
Hi Cheryl. Long Live Bob. the bird is a Curlew - more pictures in an earlier post.
ReplyDeletehttp://anotherbirdblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/there-again.html
Hi Pete, It was yellow on a day like today.
Lovely Phil, the Collared Dove and Common Sandpipers are both very nice looking birds.
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