Cuckoo

A short session before work on Friday morning with Hawky produced a real stunner in the first round of checking the mist nets. A cracking Adult male Common Cuckoo was the first bird to be extracted out of the fine net. This summer visitor (April-Sept) is normally heard and rarely seen well, so it's definitely one of my highlights so far this year to been able to extract and ring one. Hopefully it can be resighted again because that's what this is all about, collecting data.

A few Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Dunnock, Blue Tit and Great tit were also ringed.

Thanks again Paul

A good mix

The last three Saturdays I've been out ringing twice with PH at our site and then on the 20th April with PRO up at Hertfordshire. Blackcap have been the most common bird ringed over the three sessions followed by Chiffchaff. It's been a good mixture of common birds topping up the figures each week but over the next few weeks/months hopefully we get more passage migrants and maybe something a little bit special?

This Adult male Jay below was 1 of 2 ringed on Saturday 20th April.

Patch update

The patch remains in steady mode at the moment but hopefully the coming weekend I should reach the magical 100 mark looking at the currant weather forecast?

The lastest birds have been:

86  Brambling
87 Sand Martin
88 Swallow
89 House Martin
90 Avocet - a good bird for the patch my 3rd record for the site.
91 LRP - didn't see one here all last year.
92 Grey Partridge
93 Reed Warbler
94 Willow Warbler
95 Cuckoo - 6 days earlier than last year.

The Avocet was well twitched by the locals but sadly didn't hang around for long. When I found it at the viewing area after work I was out on my bike and didn't have the camera. So Dave Morrison has kindly let me use his for the blog.

Heron chicks

Last Saturday afternoon I went out on a small boat with the Southern Colour Ringing Group to survey the Heronry at Netherhall. Only 27 nest were found on the Island which was down from last year due to some of the large trees being lost to the recent high winds. With the recent warm weather some of the Heron chicks were near fledging and the Little Egrets were already sitting on eggs, which was early than normal. However, 9 Heron was ringed and 7 of them was also coloured ringed. A massive thanks goes to Paul Roper and the team for the invite and the chance to ring a couple of  Grey Heron chicks.