The End Is Nigh

Some of my readers in the East will even now be shaking off the effects of over indulgence, reaching for the Alka Seltzer or the hair of the dog as they try to remember 2010 and stagger into 2011. Others across the Atlantic who lag Greenwich Mean Time will just now be donning fancy dress before they head off to Bargain Boozers en route to the evening's celebrations.

And what about me, with a few hours to go on New Year’s Eve? Here I am blogging about birds again. “For goodness sake man, get a life and hit a party or two”.“Later”, he said

You see Will and I had a bit of a party earlier in the day when we went up to our ringing site near Lancaster for the last leisurely session of the year hoping to catch a bird or two, to almost ring in the New Year so to speak, hoping that with luck we might end the old year on a bang. In the end it wasn’t so much an explosion but more of a steady fizz with a few colourful sparklers thrown in. We caught 21 birds of 8 species, 15 new and 6 recaptures. But anything we lacked in quantity we made up for in quality, new birds as follows: 8 Brambling, 3 Chaffinch, 2 Blackbirds and one each of Great Tit and Coal Tit. Recaptures were 2 Dunnock, 1 Robin and 2 Blackbirds. Just as yesterday, one of the Blackbirds fat scored at 40 and weighed in at 121 grams; maybe it’s just not humans that over indulge at this time of year?

Not for the first time this autumn, today’s catch of Bramblings exceeded Chaffinch captures. Today we counted approximately 45 Brambling in the woodland but less than 20 Chaffinch – most unusual.

Other birds seen this morning: 2 Jays, 4 + Bullfinch, 4 Nuthatch, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Woodcock, 1 Fieldfare, 10 Redwing and 20+ Blackbirds in addition to the 4 captured.

Blackbird

Apologies then for showing yet more pictures of Bramblings, but enjoy it while we can, it doesn’t happen too often.

Brambling
Brambling
Maybe the year should end with a seasonal Robin.

Robin

Have a happy, prosperous and bird-filled New Year everyone.