The next two days

Two more mornings were spent down in the water meadow orchard (21 & 22 Sept). The Friday was cloudy with the wind easing and Saturday was brighter with the wind picking up again. Altogether, we had 33 new birds with a mere 3 recaptures.

Under-tail coverts of Grey Wagtail (1CY)

The red-letter bird on day 1 was another Grey Wagtail; the rest of the cast comprised mainly of 'King Harry's, a pleasing return to autumn ringing. With a small Mipit passage going on, I 'tape lured' two specimens, both 1CY birds with short (UK) wing lengths.

Simultaneous shedding of greater coverts in juvenile Goldfinch (late Sept)

Day 2 was less successful but we handled yet another Song Thrush and our first Goldcrest of the second winter period. However, the star prize 'today' was to be a 3F Reed Bunting, yet another 'new for year' species. 

The full count was as follows:
Goldcrest 1 - adult male
Chiffchaff 2 (1) - new birds both adults
Blackcap 2 - both males
Blackbird (1) - aged '4M' Aug 2011             
Song Thrush 1 - another juv
Robin 1 (1)
Dunnock 2
Grey Wagtail 1 - 1CY
Meadow Pipit 2 - 1CY

Contrast between greater and primary coverts - 1CY Chaffinch

 Chaffinch 3 - 2 adults & 1CY
Greenfinch 4 - all juvs undergoing PJ moult
Goldfinch 13 - no adult birds!
Reed Bunting 1 - a small imm. female

I spent the next week with our caravan up in NW Norfolk, enjoying the noisy Pink-feet and the swirling Knot flocks! ... and meeting friends and family of "her indoors", my partner Jenny. [I should say she spends much of her time in the garden or walking her dog, so a bit of a mis-nomer!!!]

A surprise start

Ahead of the gales and heavy rain, I got in a couple of 2012 morning stints in the garden. The weather was on the limit for netting since the wind was from a 'bad' direction, that is straight along the road and through the neighbours back gardens. That meant little shelter and blowing nets but not enough for them to end up in the shrubs/hedge/fruit trees.

There was a strange light, with bright sun at times and heavy black clouds rolling in from the sea just skirting us. Eight hours produced 8 new birds and 6 re-traps. A pair of these returnees were Long-tailed Tits. The presumed male I ringed way back last January and his consort was a juvenile when first trapped in July. The Robin was a local fledgling also in July and the 'young' male Blackbird has been around for the last three months or so. The already-ringed Blue Tit had bred hereabouts and was safely sexed as a female; the other three were all juveniles (from now aged as 'Euring 5' until the breeding season), part of a roving winter population and of unknown origins.

So to the surprise.


It was only a few weeks ago that I noticed a pair/two Grey Wagtails flying west over the garden. During the summer, I quite often encountered one or two down at the meadows but never caught one despite those intentions. Today's (Monday) was a young female but whether it is a locally bred bird or "a grockle" from "up north" or Scotland , we shall probably never know. In the second photo, you can just make out the two generations of tertial feathers.

[ Apologies for the poor performance - the light conditions were awful and I didn't have time to mess about].

Here's the list. With gales and heavy rain on the agenda for the next three or four days, I won't be adding to my 2012 score for a while, although a certain trainee is urging me to get out at the weekend.

Blue Tit 3 (1)
Long-tailed Tit (2)
Blackbird 1 (1) - a new 6 male
Robin 1 (1)
Dunnock (1)
Grey Wagtail 1 - new species
Chaffinch 1 - a 6 female
Goldfinch 1 - a 5 female
Sparrowhawk 0 - a male in full pursuit of 2 Collared Doves, it ricochetted near the pole and was away (the 2nd bird in the garden today, the other a female)

We'll see, whether or not we get out soon.

The Long-tailed Tits have fledged

A couple of evenings this week I've been able to open 70' of net in the orchard part of the garden. It has been a bit of a Long-tailed Tit fledging period.

So far I have ringed broods of 8, 8, 9, 6 & 8, all with at least two, if not three, adults. I have also ringed the first free-flying juvenile Blue Tit; I haven't yet found out which neighbours have boxes that are used regularly.

Bag of Long-tailed Tits

Handful of (young) Long-tailed Tits

Two site ringing ticks broke up the proceedings - first an adult male Jay (also a garden tick)

... I did let it go ... eventually!

and shortly after, a Mistle Thrush, a species I've not done for a while. This one was a 2CY female with a BP4. They nest over the road and take possesion of our large Holly tree in the autumn come berry time.

Apols for the poor quality - camera on wrong setting. Nice of the Weigela, though!

Forecast is for wind and rain over the weekend. Tonight was only feasible because the wind was NW/NNW and we are sheltered by a belt of trees.

Two-night's tally came to 39 and 9 "passes":-
Jay 1
Blue Tit 2 (1)
L-T Tit 27 (5) + 1 control
Blackbird 6 (1)
Mistle Thrush 1
Robin 2
House Sparrow (1)