The Garden, more Crossbills, recoveries and a thank you to Rex!

A short morning session at home produced just ten new birds - a Great-spotted Woodpecker, four Goldfinch, four Blue Tit and the best an adult Rook (below top)!  This is the first full-grown Rook that I have ever caught and what a fabulous bird it is in the hand.  Whilst the latest session at Leith Hill produced 15 new birds including three more Crossbill, two Siskin, two Willow Warbler and an adult male Brambling (below bottom).

I have also just received a large series of recoveries, 24 to be exact, which unsurprisingly involved a good number of Redpolls, but also a few unexpected gems!

Mallard

GR16961 - ringed as an adult female at Holmwood Common on 23rd Jan 2011 and was taken into care from Dorking, 2km away, on 14th March 2011 with a fractured leg, but didn't survive its injuries.  My first Mallard that hasn't been recovered as having been shot!

GC78000 - ringed as a juvenile at Warnham LNR on 20th July 2011 and was shot 11km away on 29th Jan 2012 near Forest Green, Surrey.

Chiffchaff

DNK266 - ringed as a juvenile at Warnham LNR on 9th July 2011 and 31 days later it was caught at Queen Mary Reservoir, Surrey 41km away to the NNW on 9th Aug 2011.

Blue Tit

Y169484 - ringed as a juvenile at Warnham LNR on 6th Aug 2011, this bird was found dead in 2km away in Horsham having hit a greenhouse window only a couple of months later on 11th Nov 2011.

Great Tit

TR91666 - ringed as a nestling at Warnham LNR on 6th May 2011, this bird was taken by a cat in Horsham just 54 days later in Horsham on 29th Jun 2011.

Magpie

EG15741 - ringed as a juvenile in my Warnham garden on 2nd Oct 2010, it was then found dead 20km away at Thakham, near Pulborough, West Sussex on 16th Jun 2011.  This is my first recovery of this species.

Goldfinch

L757852 - ringed on 23rd Mar 2011 at Leith Hill and caught a fortnigfht later on 6th Apr 2011 9km away at Gomshall.

Redpoll sp.

L032848 - ringed as a 1st year male on 25th Sep 2011 at Whitwell, Derbyshire and caught 245km SSE at Leith Hill on 9th Jan 2012.

L054653 - ringed on 13th Mar 2011 at Tandridge, Surrey and caught 25km WSW at Leith Hill on 23rd Jan 2012.

L758275 - ringed as a 1st year bird at Capel on 6th Apr 2011 and caught at Beare Green as an adult male on 1st Feb 2012.

L771690 - ringed as a 1st year male on 6th Aug 2011 at Newton, Lancashire and caught at Leith Hill on 9th Jan 2012 as an adult male 339km SSE.

Y324767 - ringed on 21st Oct 2011 at Leith Hill and caught at Dungeness, Kent on 10th Nov 2011 97km ESE (map below).

Y324802 - ringed as a 1st year on 27th Oct 2011 at Leith Hill and caught at Capel on 11th Nov 2011, 3km SE.

Y324823 - ringed as a 1st year on 27th Oct 2011 at Leith Hill and caught at Icklesham, East Sussex on 1st Nov 2011 79km ESE.

Y324883 - ringed as a 1st year male at Leith Hill on 29th Oct 2011 and caught at Capel on 11th Nov 2011.

Y439009 - ringed as a 1st year on 30th Oct 2011 at Icklesham, East Sussex and caught at Leith Hill on 28th Nov 2011.

Y443956 - ringed as a 1st year at Queen Mary Reservoir, Surrey on 29th Oct 2011 and caught at Leith Hill on 16th Nov 2011.

Y469533 - ringed as a 1st year at Capel on 21st Oct 2011 and caught at Leith Hill on 16th Jan 2012, 3km NW.

Y469682 - ringed at Capel as a 1st year on 8th Nov 2011 and caught at Leith Hill on 9th Jan 2012.

Y469779 - ringed at Capel on 19th Nov 2011 as a 1st year and caught at Leith Hill on 23rd Jan 2012.

Lesser Redpoll

L484304 - ringed as a 1st year on 10th Oct 2010 at Slaley, Northumberland and caught as an adult female at Leith Hill on 29th Jan 2012 430km SSE (map below).

X786799 - ringed as a 1st year male on 30th Jan 2011 at Penrith, Cumbria and caught at Leith Hill on 29th Jan 2012 as an adult male, 421km SSE.

Y324719 - ringed as a 1st year on 21st Oct 2011 at Leith Hill and caught on 22nd Nov 2011 at Capel, 3km SE.

Siskin

Y169992 - ringed as a first year female at Capel on 13th Oct 2011 and caught at Leith Hill on 9th Jan 2012.

Just as I was writing this post I got a call from my colleague Ruby at Leith Hill saying that her German Shepherd dog Rex had found a big fluffy chick in a patch of brambles whilst walking near her house.  So I dashed over and found this little guy stuck in the brambles:

Tawny Owl chick

A large oak tree standing over this bramble patch looked like the obvious place of origin, so Ruby and I dashed back to the workshop to get a ladder whilst Simon kept the bird warm.  Climbing the tree an old butt of a broken limb turned out to house a snug nest and a further two chicks (Ruby and Simon with nestlings below).  They were quickly ringed and put back in the nest and about five minutes later the heavens opened!  A lucky break that Rex found the chick as it would have got drenched and probably not survived, well done Rex!

Birds ringed:
Goldfinch - 6
Blue Tit - 4
Siskin - 2
Brambling - 1
Great Tit - 2
Chaffinch - 1
Willow Warbler - 2
Wren - 1
Great-spotted Woodpecker - 1
Blackbird - 1
Rook - 1
Crossbill - 3
Tawny Owl - 3 nestlings