Rarity

I should have gone ringing early Saturday morning but I went birding instead because conditions looked right for a good bird or two (mizzle, low cloud and falls of migrants all down the east coast). There were some decent birds around the county (skuas etc) but the best I could manage was a Hobby. Today it didn't feel anything like as 'rare' (warm, dry, only slightly overcast) but that didn't stop me catching one.

Rarity is of course a relative concept but sadly that label now fits the poor old Willow Tit. Poecile montanus has taken a hammering in the last few years and I haven't seen or heard one round these parts for ages, until this morning that is when I first of all heard that once familiar buzzing call and then found this little beauty in the bramble net ride.

Welcome appearance of juveniles

A few CES (constant effort site) reports have flagged up low levels of juvenile birds in the last sessions at a time when historically they should represent a high proportion of birds caught. It was quite encouraging therefore to get a nice range of juveniles earlier this week at the sewerage works. This is something of a Whitethroat stronghold and the catch included several recently fledged individuals like this one in very fresh plumage.