Monday 9 February 2015

Birds in winter sunshine

Hello

John Woollett and team committed to some ringing at Stortons Gravel Pits yesterday (Sunday) and caught a good number of birds, some attracted to the feeders there. Reed Bunting was the most common bird caught, with plenty of new birds, some re-traps from previous years and a bird bearing a ring from elsewhere (not sure where yet). A marauding Sparrowhawk hit the nets but bounced out and wasn't captured.

John Gamble was up at Deenethorpe yesterday afternoon and captured some fine shots of a/the wintering Great Grey Shrike present there (please see images below).

Some ringing around the main feeding station at Pitsford Reservoir yesterday afternoon and this morning provided 49 captures which included 31 new birds. These were made up of 9 Yellowhammers, 2 Reed Buntings, 6 Tree Sparrows, 3 Chaffinches, 6 Greenfinches, 3 Goldfinches and 2 Starlings. The female Stonechat is still present in the Scaldwell Bay (the male disappeared in late December), and a singing Willow Tit was again present around the Fishing Lodge.

Regards

Neil M




Great Grey Shrike
at Deenethorpe

Courtesy of John Gamble

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