Wednesday 15 March 2017

Thrush gallery

Hello

Strong and sustained sunshine is absolutely fine for the soul but is no friend to ringers using mist nets, as the sun shines on the nets and makes them much more visible to birds.

Nevertheless some limited ringing activity today still provided a number of captures including some quality species...

Dave Francis completed a little garden ringing today on the east side of Northampton and caught 26 birds using just a couple of very small nets with 18 exquisite Goldfinches dominating.

Chris Payne spent a couple of hours using mist nets at Bradden and this provided just over 20 captures including a cracking bold Mistle Thrush, new Nuthatch and several new birds including a couple of Coal Tits, Goldfinch and Blackbird. Many of the tits are spending larger parts of the day away from feeders at the moment as they pair up and ratify nesting sites in our copses and woodlands.

A pair of Egyptian Geese are currently lodged in some wet woodland near there...

This morning's ringing session at Harrington Airfield in very warm and sunny conditions netted 55 birds, 46 of which were new. Perhaps surprisingly thrushes dominated with a Fieldfare, two Blackbirds, two Song Thrushes and thirteen Redwings all extracted from mist nets. Other birds included 13 Yellowhammers, 8 Reed Buntings, 8 Dunnocks, 2 Robins, 3 Chaffinches and a Meadow Pipit.

Birds seen using the site included a fly-over Raven, a redpoll sp, a Chiffchaff, at least one hundred Golden Plovers and a Woodcock.

Jacob watched a mobile flock of five Waxwings in Moulton village today plus a Chiffchaff and noted a Raven flying over Scaldwell village this evening.

Regards

Neil M



A smart adult male Blackbird
exhibiting white flecks to the head.
Image courtesy of
Chris Payne.


Big, bold and beautiful, the
stunning Mistle Thrush.
Courtesy of Chris Payne.

This Fieldfare was judged to be a
first year female...


Some of the Redwings today
exhibited some plumage fading,
perhaps suggesting they had come
from sunnier climes where the sun
had blanched some features.

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