Sundowner

Wednesday evening - Will and I met up at Out Rawcliffe for a sundown ringing session, and a go at the Goldfinch roost we discovered late last week when about 300 birds took to the twilight gathering.

The evening started well when Will spotted a distant slow flying raptor with the tell-tale “V” profile. It was a male Marsh Harrier hunting the barley fields, and it did so on and off for the next hour or so but never came close enough for a decent photograph.

Marsh Harrier

We counted up to 100 Goldfinches into the roost but managed to catch 14 new ones. This would be a high percentage with only a hundred roosting, so we think we missed a chunk of birds arriving, perhaps from a hidden direction. It’s early days yet, but indications are that the roost holds mainly birds of the year, with once again this latest catch of all juveniles. A Goldfinch roost appears to be a new phenomenon in this part of the country, probably partly as a result of the Goldfinch population explosion, and so presents an area open for further study.

Goldfinch

We finished with 34 birds, 29 new and 5 recaptures. New birds: 14 Goldfinch, 7 Long-tailed Tit, 5 Willow Warbler, 2 Whitethroat and 1 Blackcap. Recaptures: 3 Willow Warbler, 1 Goldfinch and 1 Dunnock.

Willow Warbler
Long-tailed Tit

Other birds seen: circa 4000 Swallow, 8 Mistle Thrush, 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 22 Linnet, but not forgetting Little Owl that watched us leave its patch.

Little Owl