Holme Pierrepont, Sunday 5 August

We decided to run a session from the A52 side of the Holme Pierrepont site because of another major event being held at the Water Sports Centre. The team consisted of Gary, Jim, Nabegh and me - 3 trainers and a trainee who had travelled from Syria - but no local trainees!. The weather was excellent, overcast with only a little breeze but the site seemed very quiet first thing. The site had dried out a little but not enough to make it possible to wear walking boots instead of wellies. Catching was steady right up to the time we took down but other than a small Long-tailed Tit flock there were no flocks of birds moving through and the 3 Long-tailed Tits we caught were all adults. A Kingfisher was a nice surprise along with 16 Willow Warblers. We ended with 65 birds including 7 retraps, made up of (new/retrap): Kingfisher 1/0, Wren 1/1, Dunnock 2/0, Robin 3/0, Blackbird 2/1, Sedge Warbler 1/0, Reed Warbler 6/1, Lesser Whitethroat 4/1, Whitethroat 2/0, Garden Warbler 2/0, Blackcap 8/0, Willow Warbler 14/2, Chiffchaff 3/0, Long-tailed Tit 2/1, Blue Tit 2/0, Great Tit 3/0, Greenfinch 1/0, Goldfinch 1/0, Bullfinch 2/0.

Kev

 A young Lesser Whitethroat showing fault bars in wings and tail (GHG)

 Jim with a very relaxed Kingfisher (GHG)