D is for Dunnock!

Dunnock
Courtesy of Robin Gossage.

Hello

A ringing session at Harrington Airfield this morning succeeded in processing 87 birds, 78 of which were new. These birds included 19 Dunnocks, most of which were juveniles and seems to indicate they have bred very successfully on-site this year!

Other birds making up the total were 9 Yellowhammers (mostly juveniles), 2 Blue Tits, a Great Tit, 2 juvenile Marsh Tits, 2 Robins, 14 Whitethoats (all juveniles), a Lesser Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler, 3 Reed Buntings, 11 Linnets (from a flock of about 70 there at the moment), 3 Goldfinches, 5 Chaffinches, a Bullfinch, 8 Willow Warblers, 3 Chiffchaffs and 2 Wrens.

Other birds seen on-site included a male Peregrine, several Yellow Wagtails and a Willow Tit. Dragonflies noted were Brown Hawker and Migrant Hawker.

Debbie and Eric Graham paid Blatherwycke Lake a visit this morning and saw three Little Egrets, two Mandarin Ducks and plenty of raptors made up of a family of Sparrowhawks and flying young of both Red Kite and Common Buzzard.

Brief ringing operations at Stortons Gravel Pits in the scrub area this morning provided 41 captures which included a Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroats, Reed Warblers, Blackcaps, Garden Warblers, Cetti's Warblers, Goldfinches, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Dunnocks and Wrens. The ringing team were able to see plenty of birds of prey overhead including Hobby and Peregrine.

Ringers were also in operation in the Scaldwell Bay at Pitsford Reservoir today with 53 birds of 18 species processed and assessed made up of 9 Bullfinches, 7 Blackcaps, 6 Wrens, 5 Treecreepers, 4 Great Tits, 4 Chiffchaffs, 3 Blackbirds, 2 Willow Warblers, 2 Robins, 2 Coal Tits, 2 Kingfishers and singles of Long-tailed Tit, Garden Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blue Tit, Marsh Tit, Song Thrush and a Mallard.

Regards

Neil M

Cock Linnet
courtesy of Cathy Ryden.

Juvenile Lesser Whitethroat
courtesy of Chris Payne.