17th January 2010 - Another Day at Home

With a welcome return of mild weather and temperatures almost reaching double figures, I spent the day ringing in my garden producing 35 new birds. This included another two Blackbirds (below) making a total of 15 ringed in the last 12 days in the garden which is nearly half the total ringed here in 2009!
During the cold weather weights of most birds were well up on normal as birds put on extra fat reserves, but today's birds were very much back to the norm. For example, some of the Blackbirds over the last couple of weeks have been huge with the heaviest birds being 137g, 134g and 133g while todays were 108g and 112g.
Saying this a new 1st year Robin (below) being the last bird caught of the day was not only high in fat (score 5), but also in muscle (score 3) - a migrant?
Birds ringed:
Blue Tit - 19
Goldfinch - 2
Chaffinch - 2
Coal Tit - 1
Great Tit - 3
Dunnock - 2
Robin - 1
Greenfinch - 3
Blackbird - 2