A fine, bright morning beckoned, so with everyone else at work I tried a few hours solo ringing at Rawcliffe Moss from 0915 to 1115. I didn’t catch many birds but there was a nice mix of species with some immaculate looking individuals.
I caught 15 birds with a couple of nets but packed in when a gang of Long-tailed Tits gathered near the net, prepared for an assault when my back was turned. New birds: 4 Lesser Redpoll, 3 Goldfinch, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Reed Bunting and 2 Blackbird. The 4 recaptures were singles of Blackbird, Goldfinch, Dunnock amd Lesser Redpoll. It’s unusual to recapture a Lesser Redpoll here and today’s returnee had been first caught on 20th September, suggesting that it and other Lesser Redpolls belong to a regular little group that feed in the plentiful birch and alders.
Things were quite good on the birding front with 1 Tawny Owl, 1 Woodcock, 1 Kestrel, 3 Buzzard, 45 Skylark, 5 Corn Bunting, 80 Woodpigeon, 5000 Starlings, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker and 3 Yellowhammer.
While on the subject of Goldfinches it appears that one I ringed in my garden on 13th June 2010 took a trip to Manchester, Orrell Reservoir to be exact, where it was caught by another ringer on 4th September 2011. Interesting, I’ll bet that Goldfinch was headed further south for this winter, but I don’t have any recaptures during the 448 days from original ringing then recapture in Manchester.
I can not imagine tryng to catch birds and band them by myself. You must be good. Great birds and photos. My favorite will always be the pretty goldfinch.
ReplyDeleteYou're still catching in fair numbers with little effort. Are you sure you're not hanging onto all the birds up north there? Please shoo a few of them down south please. It's so mild here - last year we were 1 week away from heavy snow!
ReplyDeleteTake care my friend.
Hey Phil...Do I hear you saying "oh no she is back"
ReplyDeleteHick ups of life keep happening for me!!
How in the world do you every come up with 5000 thousand bird ..is that a fair estimate haha!!
Good to see you are still at work keeping up with the bird world!!
Grace
That Goldfinch must be nuts. Who on earth would prefer Manchester to the Fylde coast?
ReplyDeleteRedpolls are always a nice bird to see, must be even cuter in the hand.......
Awe the recapture must have liked you, they all must... Phil do you mean to say that the lovely little Long-tailed Tits would actually come at you? You have such a steady hand and to be able to take such stunning images, and hold the birds and photograph all solo...I applaud you...wonderful post as always~
ReplyDeleteMust be so rewarding. Love all the different kinds of birds. A friend just returned from the UK and for a gift bought me a book on British Birds. I've loved looking through it.
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