A Good Day Had.

Sunday 26th.
With the weather holding out we managed to get into the woods and put some nets up. The feeding stations looked busy and we were not dissapointed. It was a late afternoon start, as we planned to stay 'till it was dark to see if anything was beginning to come into the roost area. From the first net round things were busy as the feeder nets produced plenty of tits, nuthatch and treecreepers. The second round produced just as many as the first,(no time for a cuppa), but a nice surprise was a male Siskin still in moult, the first of the autumn. A last net round as darkness fell produced a nice Song Thrush and chaffinch, which is what we were expecting, albeit in larger numbers. Hopefully it should build up over the coming weeks, all in all 79 birds, 57 new and 22 retraps.
Wren 1
Dunnock (1)
Robin (1)
Song Thrush 1
Goldcrest 3 (1)
Long-tailed Tit 1
Coal Tit 9 (4)
Blue Tit 15 (4)
Great Tit 18 (8)
Nuthatch 1 (2)
Treecreeper 3 (1)
Chaffinch 4
Siskin 1

Disappointment,No!!

An early start at the reed bed at Watermead found me struggeling to put up nets with increasingly cold hands. My target was to catch 7 more Reed Warblers and reach 100 for the summer. By the end of the morning I had only 3 more Reed Warblers and this left me on 97, tantalisingly close to my goal. However, I was not disheartened, because on the first net round I had at last trapped a Cetti,s Warbler.

This species is increasing in the county, no doubt thanks to the management of areas such as Watermead country park. I was confident that I had identified the species correctly and the 10 tail feathers was confirmation of this. The under tail coverts are brown and fringed white, as can be seen in the photo.

More Warblers at Watermead!

Another session at Watermead produced some more Reed Warblers which brings the year total to 92. I am determined to break the ton, so hopefully some will linger into September. Other species caught included Sedge Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and a juv. Great Spotted Woodpecker. The photo shows the odd red feather on the nape which indicates a male.