Ringing at Pitsford Reservoir

Hello

This morning Steve Fisher located two Cattle Egrets on the main lake at Stanwick Lakes.

At Pitsford Reservoir today there were two parallel ringing sessions with the main activity being the CES in the Scaldwell Bay and a smaller concern with nine nets placed in Christies Copse in the Walgrave Bay.

Some 113 birds of 16 species were trapped for ringing/assessment purposes made up of 30 Blackcaps, 5 Garden Warblers (including a controlled bird from elsewhere), a Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Chiffchaffs, 4 Goldcrests, 14 Wrens, 8 Robins, 4 Dunnocks, 4 Treecreepers, 6 Blue Tits, 4 Marsh Tits, 18 Great Tits, 6 Long-tailed Tits, 3 Blackbirds and a Kingfisher. The star bird though was a totally unexpected Red-breasted Flycatcher which was found in a mist net in Christies Copse. It was judged to be a moulting adult female and was ringed and duly released. At this time I'm not aware of it since being seen 'in the field'.

Other birds on-site included plenty of Little Egrets, two drake Red-crested Pochard, a female Tufted Duck with two ducklings, a singing Cetti's Warbler still and a Cuckoo. A juvenile Little Owl was showing nicely nearby.

Regards

Neil M

Red-breasted Flycatcher.
As unexpected as this capture was
I was aware that Taiga Flycatcher (near
relative from further east) was the potential
confusion species. Taiga tend to be colder and
greyer and lack much warmth in the plumage.
they tend to have blacker tails and with
black upper tail coverts. Most guidance
suggests they have darker even blackish
bills lacking the pink/horn colour of the
Red-breasted's lower mandible. This bird was in
body and wing moult so wasn't looking at
it's best! The tail to my eyes did seem very
black but the uppertail coverts were brown. The extent
 of the white on the outer tail feathers (and extending
 down the tail) seemingly eliminates Taiga.
The bill was dark but not black and with hints
of warmth. The plumage was rather grey but with warm
 browns in the crown, wings and upper mantle.
The bird was kind enough to deposit a little package
and left a small feather behind so if my identification
is questionable we may have a DNA option!

Brown Hare.
A species regularly seen in the
grounds of the reservoir or
fields adjacent.

Juvenile Little Owl.