Payoff Day

My regular feeding at the plantation for the last few weeks paid off today with a good catch of finches and other bits and bobs. 

Just a couple of nets proved enough for a steady catch of 20 birds made up of 8 Brambling, 7 Chaffinch, 2 Reed Bunting, 1 Robin, 1 Song Thrush and 1 Goldfinch. In all I counted 14+ Brambling, 25+ Chaffinch and 20+ Goldfinch about, together with the usual 20 or more Reed Buntings. 

A blog reader with Bramblings close to home asked recently about ageing and sexing Bramblings in the field; I replied by saying while it isn’t easy, it is possible with good and preferably close views. Much easier in the hand of course. 

Today’s 8 Bramblings proved to be a mix of 4 second calendar year females, 3 second calendar year males and one adult male. Below is the adult male, lots of black in the wings and tail, very rounded tail feathers and black across the wing coverts. 

Brambling - adult male

Brambling - adult male

Brambling - adult male

A second calendar year male, less black overall with pointed tail feathers, 

Brambling - second calendar year male

Brambling - second calendar year male

Below shows two second year females. The last year’s tail feathers of the second example are not only pointed but show a juvenile fault bar running across them all. 

Brambling - second calendar year female

Brambling - second calendar year female

It’s now something of A Red Letter Day to catch a Song Thrush, so scarce have they become. 

Song Thrush

There was an improvement today in catching 2 Reed Buntings out of the 20+ forever on site. 

Reed Bunting

All the Robin wanted to do was look at its own reflection in the camera lens. 

Robin

The catch kept me fairly busy, but otherwise I noted 400+ Woodpigeon, 2 Jay, 2 Mistle Thrush, 2 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 4 Buzzard, 2 Kestrel, 2 Treecreeper, 6 Skylark, 18 Tree Sparrow, 1 Yellowhammer, 2 Fieldfare, 8 Redwing. 

Kestrel

A complaining Carrion Crow put me on to a Short-eared Owl flying high in the sky and heading west. As I rapidly changed lenses and the crow persisted, the owl turned and headed back east leaving me with yet another record shot. 

Short-eared Owl

That’s all for now folks. Look in to Another Bird Blog soon for more news and record shots. This post is also linking to Madge's Weekly Top Shot .