Waxwings still around - and we're loving em!
The recent snow has congregated the thrushes into patches of apples that are clear. The Bearded One set some nets today and I joined him pre-work and during the lunch break for some ringing.
The result was probably the most exciting ringing session on site. The day's tally:
42 Fieldfare
5 Waxwing
26 Redwing
18 Blackbirds
2 Mistle Thrushes
11 Starling
3 Green Woodpeckers
14 Chaffinches
6 Robins
1 Blue Tit
1 Goldfinch
1 Goldcrest
Total of 130 birds
The site is usually excellent for the winter thrushes - providing some really interesting retrap data between winters of Fieldfare (up to about 10% of the national catch of Fieldfare have been ringed each year on this site).
The first Waxwing caught was this female (note the diffuse lower edge ofthe black bib)
Later this male (strong demarkation to the bib) was caught, allowing a useful comparison between the sexes.
And this one - we called him 'Steve'.
A quick scan of the playing field at work and, hey presto, a superb adult Med Gull wandering around looking for stuff (food, one asumes). Only the second site record - the first being seen by The Bearded One as he stared skyward a couple of years ago (I don't think his neck goes that far back now).
This turned out to be the last image taken of our resident Tawney Owls as the following day they were disturbed by some tree felling near-by and took this as a final message to buzz off. Can only hope that they'll return to this tree in teh future - fingers crossed!
The first Waxwing caught was this female (note the diffuse lower edge ofthe black bib)
Later this male (strong demarkation to the bib) was caught, allowing a useful comparison between the sexes.
And this one - we called him 'Steve'.
