A Garden Full of Blue Tits

Since earning my C permit in August of this year, I have been ringing in my garden to see just how
many birds eat the food. This week marked the 200th bird ringed, of 16 species.

By far the most numerous of all the birds has been Blue Tit. I have ringed 93 Blue Tits in just 20 foot
of net. Out of these, only 31 have been EURING age code 3 (born this year). This means 2/3 have
been adults, which is a concerning statistic for this year’s breeding success and the future numbers
of the population. Numbers can bounce back after a poor breeding season, but this relies on better
weather and abundant food. 

In addition to retrap Blue Tits (ones which I have previously ringed), I have also caught a control (one that someone else ringed). Ringed by Sorby Breck Ringing Group. This had travelled 41km down to me in South Derbyshire.

Earlier on in the year, I managed to catch 2 Chiffchaffs and a Willow Warbler. As the weather has
become colder, there have been more Goldfinch (3) and Chaffinch (10). I have been trying to catch
other visitors to the garden, including Redwing, Fieldfare, Greenfinch, and Pied Wagtail, but no luck
so far. 

Some nice surprises have included 7 Coal Tits, 5 Nuthatch, and 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
By far the biggest surprise was to catch an adult Jackdaw in the net!

One of my favourite birds to ring is the Blackbird, but I had a hard time catching any for the first
month. It was only when I moved the net that I finally caught a female. Just recently, I caught 5 in
one day, though putting apples out during the snow may have helped.

Josh

Nuthatch

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Jackdaw

Blackbird

Goldfinch

Blue Tit