A 0730 start is as late as it gets now. Next weekend we turn the clocks back an hour and head into winter. At seven-thirty Thursday it was still pretty dark and we hoped to catch a few early morning Redwings.
We got the nets up in double quick time with the help of headlamps however the Redwings didn’t arrive and we settled for a couple of migrant Blackbirds.
In fact the whole morning’s ringing turned out quiet with just 11 birds caught – 3 Blackbird, 4 Linnet, 3 Chaffinch, 1 Goldfinch.
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Our four Linnets proved disappointing when the combined count of a number of flocks totalled over 250 finches, a count that included a number of Goldfinches and Greenfinches, the latter not easy to pick out amongst fast flying gangs of small birds.
All four Linnets showed features of Scottish birds and as usual all new birds, with a slim chance only of capturing a recent Linnet or a Linnet from elsewhere.
"Scottish" Linnet
Goldfinch
Linnet
There was a Sparrowhawk in attendance and then brief views of a “ringtail” Hen Harrier over the nearby marsh.
Hen Harrier
Female and juvenile Hen Harriers, are known colloquially as “ringtails”, both look very similar, with brown on top, almost checkerboard brown and beige underwings, a white rump and a bearded tail. However, females are larger than males at 400-600g, compared to 300-400g. They're smaller than buzzards, but larger than crows.
Storm Babet made little impression here on the west coast, a few windy days and nights but we are rather accustomed to that scenario and take it in our stride.
Keep an eye on the weather folks. And then come back here to Another Bird Blog for the latest news, views and photographs.
Linking today to Eileen;s Saturday blog.
11 comments:
Great photo of the hen harrier. Glad to hear you weren't affected by the storm.
It sounds like it was not the best day for ringing birds, but everyone caught I guess is a bonus towards understanding the flight patterns.
I love the Hen Harrier, I have a very soft spot for the birds of prey so long as they keep away from 'our' small garden birds!!
I hate these short days so I am already looking forward to April next year!
Keep well, cheers Diane
A great post again! Your blog is always a great source of birding news and beautiful closeups.
A pretty collection of birds Phil! The Goldfinch and the Hen Harrier are my favorites. Thank you for linking up and sharing your critter post. Take care, have a great weekend.
Glad you got out Phil, but a shame there were such low numbers in the nets. Love the Linnet though. Such an underrated bird in my opinion. That said, I think the Hen Harrier steals the glory on this occasion. What a bird. Looking forward to the clocks going back myself. I'd put them back 2 hours to avoid others at first light.
The good news is, you were able to get out and go ringing. Beats a day in the office any time.
I can't believe all those flocks of finches couldn't take a minute out of their busy morning to stop in at your nets and visit for a bit. And what's up with those Redwings that's so important they didn't even make an appearance?
Sigh. Birds. Can't trust 'em.
We are just now beginning to see a few Northern Harriers filter into the area as migration is getting busy. I had not heard the term "ringtail" before but it is certainly apt. I'm old enough to still refer to these raptors as Marsh Hawks, no matter what the taxonomists say.
All is fair here. Our medical road hit a speed bump but hopefully the coming weeks will be smoother.
Gini and I are happy to hear the storm with a name wasn't serious and hope you and Sue are finished with the plague for awhile.
All the best from the colonies.
Love that shot of the Hen Harrier. It is good the storm wasn't too bad in your area.
Hello Phil, :=)
I love your beautiful header, and all the bird photos.
All the best
Sonjia
We have a time change coming up too. I'm glad we have nice weather now but I don't like the shorter days of winter. Love your bird photos and news of your outings. Take care!
All nice photos, but I'm in awe of the colors of your Goldfinch... so amazingly beautiful.
Fabulous photograph of the hen harrier.
Storm Babet wasn't too bad but Storm Ciaran was not so good, we had quite a few trees down near to us.
Apparently it's Storm Debi next!
Stay safe, warm and dry.
All the best Jan
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