31st March 2010 - First Pulli of the Year

After seeing a pair of Blackbird collecting food from under my feeders (even to the extent of breaking the peanuts up into small pieces before taking them off) and in the lawn at home this week, I finally tracked down the nest to the top of the Lleylandii hedge two gardens over.

A quick knock on the neighbours door for permission and on inspection the three chicks were of perfect size for ringing (below). Hopefully, I will manage to find a lot more nests this year!
Birds ringed:
Blackbird - 3

29th March 2010 - A Small but Notable Catch at Chesworth

A brief attempt by Jake and I of a session at Chesworth Farm was short-lived due to the weather and only two new birds were caught being an adult male Goldfinch and amazingly a first year male Yellowhammer, which also happens to be the mate of the female caught only last week.

27th March 2010 - Quieter Days

Another morning in my garden at home produced only seven new birds as birds have now moved off to respective breeding areas and a lesser need to rely on the feeders as the spring progresses. The highlight of the morning being three Treecreepers including one new (below).
Whilst Wes did a session at the Capel reserve catching 19 new birds including a Treecreeper, four Chiffchaff (and four more retraps from 2009) and two Reed Bunting.

Birds ringed:
Blue Tit - 3
Chaffinch - 1
Goldfinch - 6
Dunnock - 3
Reed Bunting - 2
Chiffchaff - 4
Wren - 1
Treecreeper - 2
Greenfinch - 3
Blackbird - 1

26th March 2010 - Eight New Birds

Another morning at home produced just eight new birds, highlighted by another male House Sparrow (only the third caught here) and a beautiful male Sparrowhawk (below). Amazingly this is only the third to be caught at the Horsham sites, especially considering that we operate three feeding stations!
Note the unmoulted inner secondaries and buff-tipped coverts, just visible in the picture above but highlighted below, that distinguish it as a second year bird.
Also, the first birds caught this year that were exhibiting brood patches being a Great Tit and a Greenfinch.

Birds ringed:
Chaffinch - 1
Goldfinch - 1
Blue Tit - 1
Great Tit - 1
House Sparrow - 1
Greenfinch - 2
Sparrowhawk - 1

25th March 2010 - A Spring Morning at Southwater

Jake and I decided to do a session at Southwater CP this morning as the Feeding Station and environs have got contractors improving it at the moment creating lots of disturbance!

This again turned out to be very fruitful with 26 birds ringed which included highlights such as seven Chiffchaffs (at least 15 around the site), three Redwing (above) and an immature Magpie (below).

Other sightings included a song-flighting Skylark (unusual for here) and a displaying pair of Redpoll of which the splendid male had a ring, possibly being one of the seven ringed here on 25th February.

Birds ringed:

Great Tit - 3

Dunnock - 3

Blue Tit - 2

Robin - 2

Wren - 1

Chiffchaff - 7

Greenfinch - 3

Blackbird - 1

Redwing - 3

Magpie - 1

23rd and 24th March 2010 - Garden and Capel

After the rain finally stopped at about 3pm yesterday, I put the nets up at home and was amazed to catch 24 new birds, although of only five species. The highlight being another possible continental migrant Chaffinch again with a high fat score of four, this time an adult male and with a wing of a huge 95. In total now six potential Chaffinch migrants have been caught this month, being caught at Chesworth Farm, Warnham LNR and my Warnham garden.

Today, Wes did a spell of ringing at Capel, catching 17 new birds, but the highlight was catching his first two Chiffchaffs, although both being ringed. They were both retraps from 2009 one ringed on 26th July and the other on 12th September. It is nice to see last years migrants return.

Birds ringed:
Blue Tit - 17
Goldfinch - 15
Great Tit - 5
Chaffinch - 4
Greenfinch - 1

22nd March 2010 - Spring is Here with the First Chiff

Another successful morning at Chesworth with two new species for the year and two new species ringed at the farm from just 27 new birds of 11 species! Eddie and I started early and were rewarded with an adult Jay (below) as almost the first bird, apart from a very near miss of a Barn Owl.
Note the extensive blue plumage on the primaries, secondaries and even the back of the head.This was followed by the first Chiffchaff for the year (below) and a second later on.
But the star of the morning was an immature female Yellowhammer (below) that was only the second ever caught only five days after the first at another site!
Another new Reed Bunting today made a total of 39 new, one control and one old retrap caught at the roost in the tiny 60ft x 60ft pond reedbed this winter since 9th November 2009 - obviously an important staging post for the local populations.
Birds ringed:
Dunnock - 1
Blue Tit - 3
Chaffinch - 4
Reed Bunting - 1
Goldfinch - 4
Great Tit - 5
Yellowhammer - 1
Chiffchaff - 2
Greenfinch - 4
House Sparrow - 1
Jay - 1

20th and 21st March 2010 - Two Days at Home

Two very different days for me at home.

With light rain and strong wind almost all day on Saturday I was only able to put the potter traps out in the afternoon and caught just two birds, both new, a Greenfinch and a Nuthatch.

Whilst today was devoted to sunny spells and only very light breeze so nets were deployed and 30 new birds of nine species were ringed with highlights being the second male House Sparrow for the garden and an interesting adult female Chaffinch that had a very high fat score of four meaning that it would be likely that it is a migrant.

But the best bird was a Collared Dove (below) that was actully the first bird caught of the day. This is the first Coolared Dove ever ringed at the sites as well as the first I have ringing. It was beautiful!!
In addition, I got a call from Jake that had get hold of a female Mallard at WNR, so I dashed over to put a ring on it.
Birds ringed:
Goldfinch - 4
Great Tit - 4
Blue Tit - 13
Chaffinch - 3
Robin - 1
Wren - 1
Greenfinch - 3
Nuthatch - 1
House Sparrow - 1
Collared Dove - 1
Mallard - 1

19th March 2010 - Small Session at Warnham and Three Recoveries

A short morning session at Warnham LNR today produced just 11 new birds with highlights being a Woodpigeon and a male Mallard.
The best of the retraps was a Blue Tit ringed here in May 2008.
Birds ringed:
Chaffinch - 2
Robin - 1
Blue Tit - 1
Greenfinch - 2
Blackbird - 1
Woodpigeon - 1
Mallard - 1

We also received three recoveries back as follows:

Barn Owl GN58872 was ringed by Wes in Ockley, Surrey as a nestling on 20th June 2007 and was found dead having been hit by a car 47km away in Hook, Hampshire on 10th January 2010.

Black-headed Gull EN32281 was seen at Warnham LNR on 8th February 2009 was ringed 26km away as an adult at Sompting Refuse Tip, Sussex on 12th February 1986 and was seen at Kortwoude, Friesland, The Netherlands 515km away on 23rd March 1995 (below).
Black-headed Gull EP00538 was seen at Warnham LNR on 19th January 2009 was also ringed at Sompting Refuse Tip on 7th December 1988.

16th, 17th and 18th March 2010 - Four Sessions of Ringing in Three Days

Starting with a net up in the sluice at Warnham LNR on 16th resulting in just one bird being caught - a new adult female Kingfisher (below).
The 17th was a day of ringing at home in the garden and with three nets and two potter traps all day only 12 new birds were caught of four species although an interesting retrap was a female Greenfinch that was originally ringed at Warnham LNR on 28th Sep 2009, being only the second transfer between these two sites.

The 18th began with an early start for Jake and I at Leechpool and Owlbeech Woods hoping to catch Firecrests and after three hours we caught just two birds - a Song Thrush (a new ringing species for the site) and a stunning adult male Yellowhammer (which was the first of this species ever ringed at the sites) below.
At the end of the day we relocated to Southwater CP where we did the long overdue roost that heralded nine new birds included a Redwing, a Song Thrush (new ringing species for the site) and the first warbler of the year a male Blackcap - also new for the site - (below).
Birds ringed:
Kingfisher - 1
Yellowhammer - 1
Song Thrush - 2
Redwing - 1
Blue Tit - 2
Great Tit - 1
Blackcap - 1
Wren - 1
Greenfinch - 5
Blackbird - 1

15th March 2010 - Species Galore at Chesworth

A beautiful morning at the Farm brought with it a stunning collection of 47 bird species including a migrant Meadow Pipit, Kingfisher, Yellowhammer, Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, Fieldfare, Coal Tit (rare for here), a pair of Mandarin and a fly over Crossbill.

The ringing was also good with Jake and I catching 46 new birds with highlights being a Reed Bunting, a Redpoll, two House Sparrow, a Woodpigeon, a Coal Tit (only 2nd ever ringed here) and an amazing six Starling (female and male below).
The highlight of the retraps was another Redpoll that we ringed here on 14th December 2009, while there was also a control in the form of a Reed Bunting, but this one, originally ringed in Icklesham, Sussex has been seen here before on 9th November 2009 (below).
I also managed to ring an adult male Mute Swan at Warnham LNR on 14th March, with the help of Sue again.
Birds ringed:
Blue Tit - 12
Chaffinch - 4
Dunnock - 1
Goldfinch - 6
Redpoll - 1
Coal Tit - 1
Great Tit - 3
Reed Bunting - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 2
Wren - 1
House Sparrow - 2
Greenfinch - 5
Starling - 6
Woodpigeon - 1
Mute Swan - 1

12th March 2010 - A Day of Twelve Species

Jake and I did a couple of hours at Warnham LNR this morning before work, managing to catch 20 new birds of nine species, with highlights being a Reed Bunting, a Nuthatch (below), a good count of six Chaffinch and a Song Thrush.
The highlights of the retraps included two Blackbirds, a Great-spotted Woodpecker, a Blue Tit ringed on 2nd September 2007 and amazingly two sibling Great Tit ringed on 17th May 2008 caught an hour apart in different areas.

The twelth species of the day was an immature female Mallard that I managed to catch at Horsham Park Pond being the first for the year (below).
Birds ringed:
Chaffinch - 6
Reed Bunting - 1
Blue Tit - 5
Great Tit - 2
Long-tailed Tit - 2
Wren - 1
Greenfinch - 1
Nuthatch - 1
Song Thrush - 1
Mallard - 1

2nd and 8th March 2010 - A Nearly and a Finally!

On 2nd March Stuart and I had a brief session at Warnham LNR before work and caught a very disappointing four new birds of three species, but as we were taking the nets down an adult female Sparrowhawk flew into one but fell out onto the floor and flew up to a nearby tree watching us carefully! This would have only been the third Sparrowhawk ringed at the Horsham sites. It was then that we realise that it had left a little present in the net in the form of a half eaten female Blackbird (below)!
At the end of the day Jake and I then did the roost at Southwater CP and caught 12 new birds of four species including four Long-tailed Tit and a Blackbird.
Today's visit to Chesworth Farm by Jake and I produced 36 new birds on a blowy and icy morning including three new Reed Buntings, two new Long-tailed Tit and a first for the Horsham sites, a beautiful adult male Starling (below). There are always a few Starling about the farm and although we have tried hard to encourage them to the feeders we have had no joy, but funnily today's bird was caught in a net nowhere near the feeders.
Birds ringed:
Great Tit - 7
Blue Tit - 20
Chaffinch - 6
Robin - 2
Dunnock - 1
Reed Bunting - 3
Goldfinch - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 6
Greenfinch - 4
Blackbird - 1
Starling - 1

1st March 2010 - Welcome Return of the Sun!

The forecast for fog was completely miscalculated and this morning although cold and frosty was absolutely beautiful and sunny at Chesworth Farm. Just before dawn the Skylarks were already in song and continued throughout the day, while about 40 Redwing and a couple of Fieldfare came out of roosting in one of the hedgerows. A pair of Grey and Pied Wagtails were displaying, as was a male Mistle Thrush and several Song Thrush and a male Yellowhammer.

The ringing there this morning was reasonable with 42 new birds being caught of 11 species and along with Jake, Eddie and Stuart being joined by A-ringer Val Bentley (pictured below) and observer Tom Forward.
Highlights included two new Reed Bunting, two new House Sparrow, three Song Thrush (including two new) and only the third new Wren for the year. Interestingly, we also caught the same male Blackbird with unusual wing-moult that we have caught the last three times here in the same part of the same net! It must just like being handled! Highlights of the retraps included three Blue Tit and a Dunnock all originally ringed in 2007.

To end the days ringing I was just leaving Warnham LNR after dark and as I was about to pull onto the main road an adult Mute Swan was walking part with cars trying to avoid it. I realised that it was one of the pair off the golf course that had come onto the reserve lake and in the process of being driven off by the resident pair even after dark was forced onto the road. I jumped out of the car and quickly managed to catch it ringed it and then took it back to the lake on the golf course.

A successful end to the day!

Birds ringed:
Reed Bunting - 2
Dunnock - 2
Great Tit - 4
Goldfinch - 4
Blue Tit - 16
Robin - 1
Wren - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 1
House Sparrow - 2
Greenfinch - 7
Song Thrush - 2
Mute Swan - 1