Friday 28 February 2014

Spring migration and Scandinavian visitors

Since my last post there has been a marked change in both the weather and the bird activity.  We have seen a series of still, clear and sunny days since the awful storm on Valentine's night and this seems to have brought out the birds in numbers.  Spring has definitely sprung with so many birds giving breeding calls, Crossbills and Ring-necked Parakeets already nesting and I have already seen five species of butterfly!

Siskins in particular have seen a huge jump with this last week seeing just shy of 70 new birds caught and many of which with significant fat reserves meaning they are building up and starting their spring migration back to the north and Scandinavia.  But the real highlight was catching a fabulous adult male Brambling (see below) which was already wearing a ring from Denmark!  Real proof of the migrations of these birds and quite an amazing record and is only the 9th ever Danish ringed Brambling to be found in Great Britain.  I can't wait to get the full details of where and when this bird was originally ringed, but can take some time.


What an amazing looking bird......

...beautiful markings on its back

clearly see the word Denmark on the ring


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