Ringing at Linford Lakes

Hello

A male House Sparrow from
the ringing session the previous
week and only the second individual
of this species to be ringed at Linford.

Last Sunday (3rd March), Kenny Cramer and team completed some more ringing at Linford Lakes on the edge of Milton Keynes close to the Northants border. This followed a successful session the week before where migrating finches showed up attracted to the feeders. Kenny reports that on Sunday the session started cold with ice-locked nets and freezing fog and finished in spring-like sunshine with accompanying bumblebees and singing Chiffchaffs! 

Once the sun burned through the cold fog and the temperatures rose the birds began to move around and the catch went up after a very slow start with one hundred and nine captures of eighteen species, of which sixty-three birds were newly-ringed.

Again the finches provided the colour and variety with fourteen Goldfinches processed plus eight Greenfinches, a Chaffinch, three Lesser Redpolls and an excellent total of twenty Siskins. Winter thrushes are difficult to catch at this time of the year but three Redwings were duly caught and processed as were six Blackbirds. Other birds included two Chiffchaffs, two Cetti's Warblers, a Treecreeper, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and two Reed Buntings.

Other birds noted on-site included a Water Rail, four Oystercatchers and three Great White Egrets.

Regards

Neil M

Stunning rainbow captured on
Saturday 2nd March during the 
course of setting up the site for
the ringing the following day.

Reed Bunting.

Male Lesser Redpoll.

Female Chaffinch.

All images courtesy of Kenny Cramer.