On Thursday, myself, Holly and Kev B went to Burley Top Fields in Allestree Park. We set six nets in a mixture of scrub and grassland habitats. The first ringing session at a new site is always exciting, you never know what you might get. However, none of us expected a Kestrel to be sitting in the net on the very first net round! This was a stunning adult female. After measuring a couple of biometrics and looking at the patterns and wear on the feathers to determine the age, we let her go.
There was plenty of interest in our Redwing tape from flocks overhead, but only one went into the
net. We also tried for Redpoll as we saw a group of around 20, but none went into the nets. The Long-Tailed Tit tape was more successful, which drew in two flocks totalling 15 individuals as well as some other tits. The rest of the birds caught were residents, including 3 male Goldcrests, 2 adult Dunnocks, and 1 Goldfinch. A relatively warm day meant that few birds were feeding on seedheads near the nets, but there’s enough food for some finches in the winter. There were plenty of other birds flying around, as this area of the Park always seems busy with birds.
Ringing data from this site will not just help inform nationwide distribution and success of birds. By
providing our findings to stakeholders at Allestree Park, ringing data can be used to inform the management of Allestree Park and monitor population changes as the rewilding progresses. Huge thanks to Sandra Horner from Derby City Council for all the help and guidance which has allowed me to set up this site for ringing.
Totals for the day were: 13 Blue Tits, 2 Great Tits, 2 Dunnocks, 3 Goldcrests, 1 Goldfinch, 15 Long-
tailed Tits, 2 Robins, 1 Redwing, 1 Wren, and 1 Kestrel.
Josh
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| Kestrel wing, with 2 retained secondaries (HJ) |
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| Kestrel (JP) |
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| Redwing (JP) |
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| Part of the Long-tailed Tit flock (JP) |
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| Robin (HJ) |
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