A few nice birds over the last 4 days.

The contents below are a summary of the ringing I have done since the evening of Thursday 15th January to yesterday evening 19th January. The reason being the Internet Service Provider had major mast damage caused by the recent high winds resulting in me being without the internet during these dates and not being able to post. During this downtime period I realised how dependant I was, getting more frustrated by the day.

I had to travel to Stoke-on-Trent and back on the 15th and did not get home until 10.30pm. I checked the forecast and it was rain by midnight and there was a bit of a Hooley blowing outside as well. So, instead of unwinding in the chair after 10hours driving I thought I would grab an hour at Fygyn Common instead. Two birds were seen, but caught just the one below.

This was an adult bird with a wing length of 203mm and weight 316.5gms.

As on previous occasions the bird sat calmly on the grass whilst I took some pictures. The rain had started slightly earlier and can be seen in the pictures. It is amazing how waterproof birds plumage can be. The water globules are so tight and round as you would expect to see on any impervious surface.

The second session was in my garden at Ffynnon Gro. There was a good show of Goldfinch and numbers seem to be increasing daily. Another 3 Lesser Redpoll one of which was a new bird, and the Treecreeper was a first this year. Last year I only processed one, in November.

Species	New	Re-trap	Control	Totals
Lesser Redpoll	1	2		3
Goldfinch	11	7		18
Blue Tit	7	1		8
Treecreeper	1			1
Totals	20	10		30

Fygyn Common, out Woodcocking again.

Last night was very windy and the rain had just stopped before I decided to go out after the Woodcock again to my new site Fygyn Common. Under foot was wet and squelchy which is not ideal because any bird can hear you coming before you get near enough to catch it. However, if you approach a bird from downwind there is still a chance to get near enough to slip the net on top of it without being heard and the bird flying off.

In recent months there has been only one occasion where I have dazzled two birds and missed them both. All other occasions there has been only one bird and last night was no exception. The only difference now is I think my technique is improving and I am definitely getting nearer to them and last night was successful again.

I did miss one bird last night which was a Fieldfare, satisfyingly I did get within inches of catching it. Nevertheless although disappointed not to catch it, a few months ago I would not have got anywhere near being close to it.

Last nights Woodcock was an adult with a wing length of 204mm and weight of 353.5gms a big bird.

After I had processed it I took couple of pictures in the hand and then placed it on the ground and like last time it just sat there for a good few minutes before flying off. This enabled me to take the extra pictures and the one above I particularly like.

Perfect Ringing Conditions .

This morning it was calm, overcast and warm, perfect conditions for ringing in my garden. Quite often when the wind is strong in other areas, my garden is nearly always sheltered, usually when it is a Westerly wind. For example we have been blown off one of our other sites at Oxwich Bay for days now. This morning the wind at Oxwich was in excess of 20mph and as I write the weather forecast says it is 36mph.

Species	New	Re-trap	Control	Total
Robin	2			2
Willow Tit		1		1
Blue Tit	22	4		26
Great Tit	3	1		4
Nuthatch	1	1		2
Chaffinch	5	2		7
Goldfinch	19	5		24
Lesser Redpoll	1	3		4
Total	53	17		70

The second net round was very good, 23 birds in total and before I started processing I decided to close the nets, just to be on the safe side. The bird numbers flying around all morning were high, so I wasn't surprised to have processed 70 birds by 12.30am

Again today I caught Lesser Redpoll. One new bird, two Re-traps from last week and a Re-trap from last year, originally ringed on 02/02/2014 as a 6M. This is now 4 new birds this year

Earlier in the week I heard a Willow Tit calling in the garden and posted as much on Twitter. Today I caught this bird which was a Re-trap, originally ringed by me on 26/11/2014. It is good to see they are still hanging about and I am hopeful there is a good chance of catching some more. .

I don't get many Nuthatch but today I had two, both females. One new bird and a Re-trap caught last year on 8/08/2014 as a 3J.

A good score of Goldfinch on the feeders today. 19 new birds, 5 Re-traps

For the benefit of non ringers a Re-trap is a bird I have caught which was originally ringed by me. A Control is a bird I have caught but was originally ringed by someone else and could be from anywhere in the world.