5th April 2010 - Another Blue Tit Control

Jake and I did a morning at Warnham LNR before work and as it was the Easter holidays, young Alex Glossop came along and showed off his bird skills. We caught 31 birds of 12 species of which 16 were new. This included four Great Spotted Woodpeckers, being three 1st year birds ringed in 2009 and a new 1st year with a very interesting plumage (below), which was heavily sun bleached! Note the normally coloured new coverts compared to the buff fringing everywhere else especially the back of the crown, flight feathers, tail and mantle. Primary feather 6 has a very clear mark of where primary 7 overlaps it shading the higher part of the feather.
Other highlights included new Treecreeper, two Chiffchaff, Song Thrush and Reed Bunting, while other retraps included a 2009 Chiffchaff and two 2006 Great Tits.

But amazingly, the second control for the site came in the form of another Blue Tit this one an adult male and seemingly quite an old one R991140. So both controls here have been Blue Tits for which I will post details as soon as I get them.

Birds ringed: (retraps in brackets)
Reed Bunting - 1
Robin - 1 (1)
Great Tit - 3 (3)
Blue Tit - 2 (3)
Chaffinch - 1
Chiffchaff - 2 (1)
Treecreeper - 1
Greenfinch - 3
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1 (3)
Song Thrush - 1
Wren - (3)
Goldfinch - (1)