With the weekend being a washout, and all of this week being predicted to be wet, we took advantage of the good forecast for Monday to get out and do CES 3. I was joined for the session by Jonny and our latest recruit, Luke Osman. As the three of us, and my nets, had got soaked in a truncated session at the Firs on Friday, Luke’s first session, I was impressed that he came back for more.
We were eaten alive by mosquitoes whilst putting up the nets along the heronry ride, and so doused ourselves in citronella, which helped make the rest of the session bearable. As has been the case reported from all around the country, our CES numbers are well down on last year. This is almost certainly down to the late arrival of summer migrants, as mentioned on Springwatch on Monday evening’s screening.
The list for the day was: Treecreeper (1); Great Tit (1); Long-tailed Tit 1; Wren (1); Dunnock 1(2); Robin 1; Song Thrush 2(1); Blackbird 1(2); Blackcap 1; Garden Warbler 2; Whitethroat 1; Lesser Whitethroat 1; Chiffchaff (2); Bullfinch (1); House Sparrow 2; Reed Bunting (1). Totals: 13 birds ringed from 10 species and 12 birds recaptured from 9 species, making 25 birds processed from 16 species. The proportion of retrapped birds is 48%.
The catch included our first newly-fledged Dunnock and Robin of the year. It also included a Whitethroat, carrying an unwelcome visitor:
Not my best photograph but the large grey blob is a tick. Most ringers carry a pair of needle forceps or a tick removing tool in their kit for just such an eventuality. I removed it, made sure the wound was clean and released the bird unburdened by a blood-sucking parasite.
Ringing In The Braydon Forest & Beyond 