Sunday 30 September 2012

Finches and things

Hi

Some of the county ringers were active over the week-end.  John Woollett and team processed 77 birds at Stortons GP today which included a Water Rail, a Chiffchaff, 4 Blackcaps, 2 Reed Warblers and a Siskin. 

Some ringers are reporting particularly large numbers of Greenfinches and Goldfinches coming to garden feeders where ringing provides some idea of the true numbers involved.  After a couple of difficult years for the Greenfinch which has been suffering from avian diseases, this upturn in numbers is very welcome.  A ringer operating in South Northants has ringed over 300 Greenfinches in his garden this year including some 177 during this month alone!  The same ringer has caught and ringed over 300 Goldfinches this year in the garden too.  I hate to think how much he is spending on sunflower hearts and niger seed!

But are these birds simply the adults and offspring of local breeding stock or from further afield?  Hopefully some of these birds will be recorded again and provide the answer.

Birds noted today included 2 Ravens in Lamport village, 3 Crossbills in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Res late morning (in trees between Christies Copse and West Hide) and a drake Red-crested Pochard and a drake Mandarin Duck at Ravensthorpe Res.

Regards

Neil M

No comments: