Sunday 30 September 2012

Linacre Weekend

No I haven't just spent a weekend at Linacre, but I have managed two visits over the last two days; one for ringing yesterday and one for general birding today.

Saturday's ringing session was very good with grey, overcast, still conditions first thing. Five members of the group were present and between us we managed to catch 52 birds, including several retraps, and a "ringing tick" for me in the shape of a lovely juvenile Song Thrush. Whether this bird was a "home grown" one or had moved in from elsewhere is unknown, but who knows, hopefully it will be retrapped later, either here or abroad.

Song Thrush

Seven species of bird were caught today ( Blue, Great and Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Goldfinch and the Song Thrush). I personally got to "process" the following birds (new/retraps); Blue Tit 3/1, Great Tit 2, Coal Tit 1/1, Chaffinch 1, Bullfinch 1 and Song Thrush 1. Other birds/wildlife recorded on site during the ringing session were 4 Swallows (my last record of the year?),  2 Cormorants, several Jays, the first Siskins of the winter, 2 Common Buzzards and a Speckled Wood butterfly.

This morning the weather was again grey and overcast, but much windier than yesterday, so no good for ringing. Instead I had a couple of hours walking around the reservoirs where the highlight was a group of 5 Common Buzzards that we're flying/soaring together over the woods. This is my highest count ever, so perhaps they bred here successfully this year? Other good sightings were a Raven, which is only the second record this year, a Chiffchaff that was feeding with a mixed Tit flock (including Willow Tit), 35 Mandarin Ducks, 91 Mallards (my highest count this winter), 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying west and the 2 juvenile Great-crested Grebes.

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