Hucknall's hundredth!

Today, 5/10/09, I ringed the 100th in my small garden. The lucky bird, wearing ring X717871, was a 3J (F) T Goldfinch. I provisionally sexed it as a female on its wing length of 76mm and the brown edges to its lesser coverts. There was not enough red on its head yet to use as an indication of its sex. It was moulting its tertials and had 2 OGCs (see photo).Goldfinches have been the predominant bird in the garden. Since 23/8/09 I have ringed 51. Of these:
- 39 were juveniles, 10 undergoing tertial moult
- 12 were adults, 9 undergoing primary moult
Of the ones I have sexed, including provisionally, 9 were males and 8 females.

Suprisingly (to me anyway) I have not retrapped any of them. The only birds I have caught more than once have been a Robin, a Dunnock and a Coal Tit.

Other birds caught today were 6 more Goldfinches, 2 Blue Tits, 2 House Sparrows, 1 Greenfinch and another new bird for the garden, a Chaffinch.

Mick