Holme Pierrepont, Sunday 16 July

Tom, Trish, Gary and I made the first visit of the year to the Blott’s end of Holme Pierrepont on Sunday. Only a small team again this year for the first visit so with all the very overgrown rides to clear we put up just 8 nets on an overcast but very humid morning.

Catching started briskly and continued for the first few net rounds. We ended with a catch of 87 including 8 retraps, made up of (new/retrap): Kingfisher 1/0, Blackbird 4/0, Song Thrush 2/0, Dunnock 1/0, Wren 2/1, Robin 2/0, Blackcap 19/2, Garden Warbler 3/1, Whitethroat 6/1, Lesser Whitethroat 4/0, Chiffchaff 3/1, Willow Warbler 6/0, Reed Warbler 19/0, Sedge Warbler 1/0, Blue Tit 1/0, Great Tit 3/0, Bullfinch 2/2.

The oldest retraps were a Blackcap and a Garden Warbler from 2015. Plenty of birds about and with a full complement of nets up and a larger team I’m sure we would have caught well over the 100 mark in this very public site. A few of the passing public did stop by for a chat and look at what we were doing, the Kingfisher providing the usual interest.

Kev

 Kingfisher and Six-spot Burnet moth (T. Shields)