Friday, August 14, 2020
Friday Fortunes
Friday, August 7, 2020
Another Day, Another Drama
Friday, July 31, 2020
A Swallow Morning
Andy’s shiny new battle wagon didn’t bring much luck today. Just a week ago we had the best catch of the autumn so far with 43 birds, https://anotherbirdblog.blogspot.com/2020/07/business-as-usual.html.
This morning we set up the ringing station in the hatchback expecting a good catch on such a fine and warm morning. If anything, the south-easterly breeze was a little too blowy with the glaring sun on mist nets providing an unwanted addition.
There seemed to be few birds around and we struggled to even
reach double figures with 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Goldfinch, 2 Wren, 1 Robin and 1
Chiffchaff.
Willow Warbler
All Chiffchaffs look unkempt at this time of year. Both adults and juveniles undergo their respective moults. The one below is in post-juvenile moult.
In contrast to our poor catch the morning provided a good
show of visible migration by Swallows. The four hours with not much to do allowed
time and opportunity to watch and count groups of Swallows. In the clear skies they
arrived from the north in small gangs of 5-15 individuals that fed on the wing around
the buildings and woodland edge before each one of them headed south. We counted 150 + in four hours of observation.
July 31st may seem early for Swallows to begin their long migration but that is
exactly what they must do to reach South Africa for their second summer.
Friday, July 24, 2020
Business As Usual
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
And There’s More
If this weather holds we may get a crack at the Sand Martins and/or back to Oakenclough on Friday. Stay tuned to Another Bird Blog so as not to miss out.
Friday, July 17, 2020
Too Good To Be True
The sixth primary feather of the Chiffchaff is partially emarginated whereas the equivalent feather of the Willow Warbler is not emarginated.
The differences are easier to see from the drawings in my 1984 dog-eared edition of "Svensson". But the facts remain the same in 2020.
More news and views soon from Another Bird Blog.
Linking today to Eileen's Blog and Anni's Blogspot.
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Pied Surprise
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
The First Of July
This morning I met Andy at Oakenclough to a dull, mizzly morning. Full of optimism and imaginings we added Crossbill to our autumnal bird callers and laid a tray of water in the net ride nearest the confer plantation. It’s said that because Crossbills feed mainly on dry conifer seeds, they are always thirsty and that a good supply of water is really important to their survival.
Gradually the mist and drizzle cleared before the sun finally arrived around eleven o’clock. Needless to say, we caught no Crossbills but we did enjoy an unseasonable adult male Siskin amongst our catch of 17 birds - 5 Willow Warbler, 4 Blackcap, 2 Robin, 2 Great Tit, 1 Blackbird, 1 Garden Warbler and 1 Siskin.
Apologies for the not so good pics today, most taken at ISO1600 in the drizzly light of 0630 to 1000 hours.
Meanwhile, the captions for Caption Contest continue to arrive for my last post of Friday 26th June.
Thank you everyone for your topical, inventive and funny captions. And for those readers yet to enter the competition, it is not too late.
Read the captions so far and just enter your suggestion in the comments box of this or the last post of Another Bird Blog.
Back soon with more news and views. And ......................
............... keep eyes and ears open for those Crossbills. You just never know.
Linking today to Eileen's Saturday and Anni in Texas.