Brackenhurst Ringing Demo, Monday 13 February

We had a good team out for this event: Jim, Kev, Gary, Louise, Erin, Lorna and I set up at first light in pretty chilly and slightly windy conditions. Quite a few birds were around, although catching was rarely anything more than steady. This suited us though as we also had a steady stream of undergraduate students coming to see what we do and learn a little about ringing. Many were on environmental courses and they were an appreciative audience.

We ringed 28 birds of 6 species, comprising (new/retrap): Dunnock 0/3, Robin 0/2, Blackbird 1/0, Blue Tit 5/3, Great Tit 2/2, Yellowhammer 9/1. The oldest retrap of the morning was a Robin ringed in November 2015.

By about 10 o'clock, the sun came out and the breeze stiffened a little and the capture rate plummeted. There were still good numbers of birds in the general area though, with perhaps 50 or so Yellowhammers hanging about. Over 100 Fieldfare were also moving around the nearby fields, both Green and Great-spotted Woodpeckers were heard (the latter drumming), a few Siskin came over and 2 Woodcock were flushed from marshy grassland on the edge of a copse. Highlight of the morning was probably the flock of 7 Whooper Swans that flew over heading north.

Pete

All photos by Lorna Griffiths