Iceland - 4th - 8th March 2022

Wednesday, 15 November 2017

November ringing

Hello

The dull, still and mild weather conditions of today were perfect for the deployment of mist nets and several Northants Ringing Group members were active...

Chris Payne caught 60 birds in just one 60' mist net at Bradden made up of 29 Blue Tits, 15 Great Tits, a Coal Tit, a Robin, 2 Wrens, 3 Chaffinches and 9 Goldfinches. Chris has been ringing at this site regularly this autumn yet the majority of the birds were all new, thus providing an insight to the sheer number of birds that a feeding station can and does support.

Dave Francis conducted some ringing in his garden on the edge of Northampton, catching 70 birds. It has been some time since Dave has tried ringing in his garden so it is perhaps not surprising that nearly all the birds had not been ringed before. However, both of two Nuthatches were old friends from previous years, one being over 3 years old. Other birds included 27 Blue Tits, one of which was a bird initially ringed as a nestling from a nest box at Pitsford Reservoir. Also caught were 10 Great Tits, 5 Coal Tits, 15 Goldfinches, 5 Greenfinches, 3 Robins, a Wren, a Dunnock and a House Sparrow.

Ringing operations were also initiated at Harrington Airfield and three ringers were responsible for trapping and processing 135 birds. Migrant thrushes dominated the early morning with 12 Blackbirds, a Fieldfare, 30 Redwings and a Song Thrush all impacting with the nets. Other highlights included 10 Meadow Pipits, 10 Yellowhammers, 4 Reed Buntings, 15 Long-tailed Tits, 12 Chaffinches, 2 Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff.

Three Hawfinches were seen flying over the complex heading west at 12.20pm and other birds included over a hundred Golden Plovers, 2 Snipe, 4 'Redpolls' and a couple of Siskins.

Eleanor waked around Sywell Country Park this morning and saw 5 Hawfinches low in flight, a Water Rail, 2 Kingfishers, 2 Grey Wagtails and c50 Siskins. Two Bramblings and a Barn Owl were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton first thing this morning.

Regards

Neil M



Coal Tit.
A regular visitor to many
 garden and woodland
feeding stations. They often
cache food and at this time
of the year will quickly empty
sunflower feeders despite their
small size!

The modest and unassuming
Meadow Pipit breeds in very
small numbers in Northants but
is a heavy passage migrant and
thinly distributed winterer. The
very long rear claws are typical of
birds striding around on the ground,
and for their size this species has
one of the longest. The well
established oil seed rape crop
(already with plenty of large leaves)
at Harrington Airfield is proving
popular with a quite a gang of these
streaky passerines feeding and
sheltering in the fields. Sustained cold
periods sends these birds south, with
many wintering in Iberia...

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