Update

Hope your all well and good and apologies for not updating the blog of late. Anyway here is a quick update.

Since the ease of some of the lockdown rules I've managed some ringing out on our site but missed the main passage of birds going through, however still got to ring a mixed variety of Warblers : Common,Lesser,Willow, Chiffchaff, Reed and Blackcaps.

Most of my ringing when time and weather has permitted throughout the lockdown has been in the garden ringing mostly Starling - 50+ but a male Blackcap on 3rd May was a decent record. The first Juv House Sparrow was ringed on the 8th May and the first juv Starling on the 25th May.

Male Common Whitethroat

Reed Warbler

Juv Starling

Looking up

Like most if not all birders I'm also keeping a #Lockdown list but as a key worker that means I spend more time at work than looking at the birds in the garden. Anyway, I've added Tawny Owl and Pheasant to the Bungalow list after 25 years of trying, partly due to the lack of car's on the roads and spending large amounts of time listening in the silly hours of the day and night just to try and keep up with some of the members of the Whatsapp group of birders doing the same in around London and Essex/Kent - who are getting some great birds in or over their gardens/balcony.

This afternoon however was a special moment for any garden lister/birder as I had a Osprey circle over the garden then flew north only to be picked up by Paulboy in his garden via my Whatsapp message!

Osprey

The Osprey is my 90th species for the garden list and along with House Martin seen today that puts me on 50 for the #Lockdown list so far, things are looking up!
 

Half locked

With the Government lockdown in place I've only been able to do some ringing in my garden and being a key worker in a Hospital, it's only been a hour before work or at weekends.

So, not a large number yet - just 19 but I'm gratfull to be able to do some ringing and log some data!

But in the long term it will be very interesting to see how many species get recorded and how populations might change.

Here are some images I've taken on my iPhone below.

 Goldfinch

 Male Green Woodpecker

 Male Starling

 

 Female Starling


 So far in the garden : 2 Blackbird, 4 Starling, 3 Blue Tit, 2 Great Tit, Woodpigeon, Ringed - necked Parakeet, Robin, Dunnock, 2 Goldfinch, Green Woodpecker.

Saturday 14th March

Once the small shower passed over on Saturday morning PH and I put 2 nets up and caught a small catch of 26 birds. Highlights were 2 GSW, 2 Goldcrest, Yellowhammer and 2 Chiffchaff - one was a retrap from last year!

Chiffchaff

 Male Great Spot

 Female Goldcrest

 Female Yellowhammer

T to C-permit

With the weather being to wet and windy over the last few weeks/months for ringing, it was great to be out again over the weekend and especially now that I'm a C-permit holder.

So on Friday I went solo for the first time. 16 birds processed before the rain stopped play.

Saturday morning I ringed in my garden.

Sunday morning PRO, PH, DW myself and GG done a public demo at Walthamstow Wetlands and once again the locals made us all very welcome. A good selection of birds to show everyone and the star of the day was a cracking male Bearded Tit.

Beckton Ice

As I walked down to the recycling centre opposite Beckton sewage works on Saturday morning to see if the Juvenile Iceland Gull was hanging around still, I counted up to 20 Chiffchaff. As I got to the river Tony Brown who was there before me had brief views of it, until I got my selection of breads of 'around the world' that I'd been saving all week put on a good show once again.

Back to Ice

As it was to windy for any ringing at the weekend, I just filled the feeders up at our little site on Saturday morning and on Sunday returned to Beckton to see the Juvenile Iceland Gull perform well in the creek opposite the tip.