Misted Over

We tell ourselves Spring is here but even with the sun up it was a cold start out on the moss, iced up ropes with a second layer of ice on the bamboo poles, so three nets went up slowly, with swigs of coffee in between. First bird out was a Linnet, giving me high hopes that more of the 120 strong flock might find the net from their forays into the alders. It wasn’t to be as thick mist rolled in from the west, and apart from Goldfinches on the feeders the birds stopped moving around much. I caught just 9 birds, 7 Goldfinch, 1 Linnet and I Chaffinch, until packing up early due to the lingering mist leaving dew on the nets.

Linnet
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Misty Moss

The Yellowhammers were still about the spilt wheat this morning, at least 15 birds, with Chaffinches coming for a look also.

Yellowhammer

The “other” sightings are pretty thin today, the mist preventing me seeing anything of note except 1 Kestrel, a singing Corn Bunting, 2 Reed Bunting, 2 drumming Great-spotted Woodpeckers and a Little Owl at the entrance to a nest box. They do that every year, fool someone into thinking they are about to use a box, then go and nest elsewhere.

Little Owl

Just the other day I found this freshly dead but very wet mouse on the morning grass. I think it may be a house mouse Mus musculus, but I stand to be corrected by someone with knowledge of small mammals.

Mouse