Ringing: October
Friday 9th No mist netting possible due to the strength of the wind. This was frustrating as there were hundreds of Swallows milling around all afternoon. Some pushes of the heligoland yesterday and today in the afternoon yielded two Redwing, a Song Thrush and a Chiffchaff. The latter was well stocked up with fat and weighed a couple of grams…
Ringing: September
Tuesday 29th It rained through the night, heavily at times, this stopped migrant movement. By dawn the rain stopped but it appeared the only birds around were those which had not left last night. Thirty-nine were ringed, 21 were Blackcaps, 15 Chiffchaffs, two Robins and a Blackbird. The latter was probably local as it was an adult completing its moult.…
Ringing: August
Monday 31st No ringing today due to the strength of the wind. It is interesting to compare August 2026 with August 2025. Amazingly we ringed the same number of birds in each – 668. Individual species totals showed more variation, particularly amongst the warblers. Blackcap increased from 120 to 141 but most others showed a decrease e.g. Willow Warbler 73,…
Ringing: July
Friday 31st Unfortunately none of the team were available yesterday but warbler migration continues steadily. Twenty-four birds were ringed today. Warblers formed the bulk of this led by six Willow Warblers and four Whitethroats. There were two each of Sedge Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff plus a Lesser Whitethroat. Resident birds continue to appear , including juvenile Blue Tit, Dunnock, Goldfinch,…
Ringing: May
Wednesday 13th It was windier than hoped but still okay before thundery and icy showers arrived mid-morning. The attempt was rewarded with a variety of new birds. This included the first juvenile Chaffinch and Long-tailed Tits (8). A new, full adult, Blackbird and a Chiffchaff were unexpected. It will be interesting to see if the colour ringing of the Blackbird…
Ringing: April
Wednesday 29th A check of the nest boxes in the shelter of the Elms was positive with all the occupied nests from the last visit still active and a couple more now with sitting birds. We only detected hatched chicks in one box. The Robins in the Observatory tower have fledged. Another amazing Motus record has surfaced. This time it…
Ringing: March
Sunday 29th A clear night ensured migrants are keeping going and not stopping here. The four new birds were all passing through- singles of Siskin, Redwing, Chiffchaff and Chaffinch. Saturday 28th Some interesting bits from Thursday. First was the finding of a Robin’s nest, with four eggs, along Sandown Road. The other bits involve information on colour ring sightings. The…
Ringing: February
Thursday 26th Another field sighting of a ringed bird. This time a darvic-ringed Mediterranean Gull on Restharrow Scrape. We have contacted the co-ordinator and should hear back shortly. Wednesday 25th A warm, settled, start was forecast but still a bit of a surprise. Although we could not ring yesterday today proved well worth it. Thirty-two birds were caught of which…
Ringing: January
Please watch out for colour ringed birds and report them to us. Wednesday 28th The promise of a calm morning was enough to tempt us out and we were not disappointed. The calm and clear did result in a frost which melted away once the sun got up. Thirty-four birds were caught of which seven were new. This included the…
Ringing: December
Thursday January 1st 2026 Please watch out for and record colour ringed birds. I earlier mentioned about the stories of the neck-collared Barnacle Geese. These had been photographed by one of our keen observers. When I saw the flock today I could not see any collared ones. Have they moved on or were they elsewhere on the marshes? I saw…