It has been a long time since my last visit to do some ringing in Laura’s garden, eight months in fact. Like Blakehill Farm, you need a wind free day, and they have been very few and far between. Laura collected the nets, poles and other equipment on Monday to give her the opportunity to practice putting up the nets, furling them and securing them so that they don’t come undone overnight, as I am putting her forward for her C-permit this Spring. She, no doubt helped by Adam and Daniel, did an excellent job, with the added bonus that I could have a lie in and didn’t have to do any of the setting up.
Unfortunately, the flocks of Goldfinch, sometimes 50 strong, must have felt that something wasn’t quite right and they didn’t flock at all. The usual Blue and Great Tits arrived, including this rather sooty / dusty looking individual:
We did eventually catch a few Goldfinch, but the bird of the day was a female Great Spotted Woodpecker. It can be difficult to age them at this time of year, as they moult in strange ways. However, this one’s black plumage was just that, all black and glossy. Definitely a full adult: I meant to take a photo but it was released before I blurted out that I wanted to do so. Looking at my stock photos made me realise that I only have one of an adult female, must make sure I get some more.
The catch for the session was: Great Spotted Woodpecker 1; Blue Tit 15(2); Great Tit 4(1); Long-tailed Tit 2; Goldfinch 3. Totals: 25 birds ringed from 5 species and 3 birds retrapped from 2 species, making 28 birds processed from 5 species.
Not our greatest haul but one of the benefits of garden ringing is that it is somewhat more comfortable and relaxing, with coffee and biscuits on tap. Besides, the way the weather is shaping up we will be lucky to get more than four sessions in this month. Yesterday’s planned session had to be abandoned because, although the forecast morning rain did not arrive until the afternoon, the light winds turned out to be strong winds gusting up to 35mph, far too windy for setting nets and, coming from the East, bitterly cold. Grateful for small mercies! Fingers crossed for Saturday.
We were a little unlucky: whilst opening the nets a Goldcrest put in an appearance but decided not to hang around to get caught and Mr and Mrs Blackbird were happily hunting on the ground but just kept flying under the nets, until we lowered them almost to the ground, whereupon the pushed off. Oh well!
Ringing In The Braydon Forest & Beyond 