Another Bird Blog: Another Week Goes By

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Another Week Goes By

The week ahead didn’t promise much in the way of weather suitable for ringing birds. Tuesday looked the best possibility, a brief lull in the showery westerlies at best. Once again the Internet and TV weather forecasts became compulsive viewing, and far better than the BBC's "News".

It was touch and go until 0700 when I met up with Will and Andy at the ringing site to zero rain and a touch of breeze that spelt "just about".

It quickly became apparent that the plan to catch more Linnets would be thwarted by the now stiff breeze that scurried across the seed plot. However, other slightly sheltered nets, plus the standalone whoosh net might produce a bird or two.

Early sounds of Redwings and Blackbirds were followed by a good mix of 24 birds caught - 12 Greenfinch, 6 Meadow Pipit, 2 Chaffinch, 1 Blackbird, 1 Redwing, 1 Wren, 1 Dunnock, 1 Goldfinch.

Greenfinch

Meadow Pipit

Goldfinch

Just yesterday we received news of Meadow Pipit ALP8836 ringed here on 9 September 2022. Sixteen days later on 25 September the same bird was caught by another ringer at Buckfastleigh, Devon.

A glance at the map below will show that the pipit had travelled virtually due south (190 degrees) and was probably on its way across the English Channel, on to France and eventual destination North Africa, the wintering haunt of many British Meadow Pipits.

Pilling to Buckfastleigh, Devon

Birding provided more interest in the shapes and sounds of 70 or more Linnets that we couldn't catch, more Greenfinches, Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and a Great-spotted Woodpecker. Two Stonechats played hide and seek in amongst the seed plot while the now resident Cetti's Warbler seems to have regular spots where it breaks into song.

It may have been the Marsh Harrier we saw or more likely, a dashing and unseen Peregrine that set many hundreds of Lapwing, Golden Plovers, Starlings and Black-headed Gulls into a melee of wings and sounds overhead and looking for safety to the west.

Nothing much bothers the Little Egrets or the lonesome Grey Herons, they seem to have all the time in the world to continue their stalking through the water courses in search of a meal.