Three mornings in the same week must be some sort of record for Oakenclough. The forecast of zero wind and a dry morning dictated a start at 0600 for Andy, Bryan and yours truly. Off we go again – Three Go Ringing
Moody Morning
Although the clouds looked threatening, showers stayed away, the sun shone briefly and we caught migrants in the way of more Willow Warblers, Blackcaps, and yet another Garden Warbler. Towards the end we had our first Tree Pipit of the autumn.
We packed in soon after 1100 with 43 birds of 13 species as follows :- 7 Willow Warbler, 6 Chaffinch, 6 Coal Tit, 6 Blue Tit, 4 Blackcap, 4 Goldcrest, 2 Goldfinch, 2 Treecreeper, 2 Great Tit and one each of Dunnock, Robin, Garden Warbler and Tree Pipit.
The titmice numbers were unusually high because the normally well-stocked feeders at the house just thirty yards away were empty this morning. Earlier in the week we noted how local Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Coal Tits enjoyed fulsome meals as the container levels dropped. Only today at the sight of empty feeders did those birds stray into mist nets 50 yards away from their regular snacks.
Although it is very difficult to see in the picture, the Tree Pipit had already started its post juvenile moult in the crown feathers.
Tree Pipit
Treecreepers often travel with tits in search of food. We seldom catch one, never mind two in a morning or three in a week as we have this time. The one below is a juvenile.
Treecreeper
A juvenile Blackcap shows how post-juvenile moult makes the sex easy to determine as the summer progresses.
Blackcap
juvenile Robin
A wing length of 81mm and the sheer bulk of this Goldfinchs’ bill strongly suggest a male even though it does not look like one just yet.
Goldfinch
Today’s seven Willow Warblers brought our total to 39 "WILWA" captures for the month of July.
Willow Warbler
Looks like we are back to normal tomorrow and over the weekend with yet more rain. Fortunately we made hay while the sun shone with 156 birds caught here in the month of July.
Back soon with Another Bird Blog. Stay as normal as possible my friends.
But don't go shopping to The High Street, it ain't there. Boris just killed it.
Hello. Interesting post and photos. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHurricane Hanna. ...I think it's over. Power went out yesterday about 1 pm...didn't get any A.C. until it was restored about 9 this morning. High winds, sporadic heavy rain, and last night tornadoes all over the area. No damage for us except lots of small branches.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and linking up this weekend. Bud & I have a bit of clean-up to do, so my visit is short.
Glad you had a little sun! Love all the photos, really like the tree creeper. Always interesting reading your posts. Hope you are having a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Phil, for visiting at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/07/sleeping-and-stretching-fulltime.html. I always enjoy your posts.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading. Thank you for sharing. Lovely birds!
ReplyDeleteMy dear friend Phil! How are you? I may be weird but I felt so relaxed on the first "moody" photo you shared! I love cloudy days that are slow and mellow, and I dont mind a little weak rainshowers.
ReplyDeleteYou got me researching about these birds, because most of these look like those that are local here in our country. The term pipit rang a bell to me because there is a bird here called a "Pipit" in Tagalog, where there is even a folk song dedicated to it of the same name. I was able to find out that our pipit is specifically a "Paddyfield pipit". They are usually found in ricefields (okay, I know, hence the name HAHA).
That blackcap photo you shared to me resembles our former national bird which is the maya. And again, I just found out now that the "maya" is not an exact bird but actually a taxon used to depict small birds like finches and sparrows. Sometime last decade, it was then changed into the Philippine Eagle.
Sending hugs my friend!
Not a bad haul in the end. Glad the sun came out for you.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI like your moody scene and photo. The birds are all beautiful, your photos are great. A nice variety. We could use some rain here. I hope you stay safe. Happy birding, enjoy your new week!
How do you hold them in oyur hand??
ReplyDeleteGoodness 6.00 is an early start!
ReplyDeleteI do like the picture of the moody morning and the birds are lovely to see.
Have a good week.
All the best Jan
Entertaining post as always, Phil!
ReplyDeleteI do see an occasional tree pipit in my mom's garden.
Happy Tuesday!
What lovely shots.
ReplyDeleteMy mom's garden is in Malaysia, my corner of the world. We call it Burung Pipit over here. Burung is bird in Malay.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the interesting lesson! I am really clueless when it comes to birds!! I really can't tell the difference from one pipit to another!
ReplyDeleteThe Juvenile Robin Really Caught My Eye - The Colors Anyway - Very Cool Photos - Stay Strong Brother
ReplyDeleteCheers
The number of birds for your time, ringing, is phenomenal. Love the Moody sky too. I think my favorite today is the tree creeper. It's gorgeous. Stay safe (Texas, even with case numbers climbing, has opened 100 %. I am not sure how to react to this. What is the new normal for everyone, world-wide?)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing your part of the world of nature near you with us at IRBB this week. It's always appreciated.
Love your Boris snippet. Politicians...don't get me started. Here in the states, come November, we have evil pitted against evil (dumb & dumber)...creep vs. Creepier. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteNow, the birds. Enjoyed seeing the juvenile to adult molting. I always get a great education visiting here. Yours is one of the best bird blogs in blogosphere. Thanks for joining us at IRBB this week.