News & highlights(14)
4th March 2005
The Waxwing effort continues to gather momentum. Garry Barker and Dave Hill set up at Loughborough University and ringed another 7 birds today. This followed on from 9 in Whetstone on Wednesday. Remarkably one of the birds today had been ringed by me on Wednesday 26 km and 350 degrees to the south. We have now ringed 19 birds since February 1st. Image from today courtsey Garry Barker (right).
This stunning adult male (left) was ringed at Whetstone on 2nd March. It is relatively easy to age and sex birds like this particularly from photographs or even in the field given a close view. It is an adult because there is a pronounced 'V' to the primary tips (the long wing feathers) and it is a male because the white crescent shaped part of the 'V' is thick and clearly defined (on females these are much 'weaker'). Supporting features include the long yellow tail tips (generally shorter if female) also the red veins through the yellow. This was a big bird both in terms of wing length and weight. The Whetstone flock has now stripped the bush where this bird was ringed and gone!
21st March 2005
The first Wheatear of 2005 (6) at Grove Park, access with kind permission of Mr Penman. Also present here 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Little Ringed Plover a White Wagtail, 3 Snipe,4 Lapwing and a large group of Wagtails, Pipits and Linnett also a few Skylark. Great birding ....... especially as it's a building site!!
23rd  March 2005
We ringed 3 Northern Wheatear today at Grove Park including this beautiful male (above). Notice that the predominant colour of the wing feathers is essentially the same as the ear coverts (mask) confirming it as an adult male. This is visible in the field. First years generally have brownish wings by comparison
2nd April 2005
Andy Smith and co ringed 8 Heron chicks at Watermead on the 1st, a sign spring has arrived (well a kind of spring anyway),
16th April 2005
Four more Heron chicks were ringed today (one of which is shown right courtesy of 'George' Bradley). The cold wet weather of the last few days is a repeat of last April and proved to be bad news for the Watermead colony. We are hoping it will relent but the forecast does not look good. A few more migrants trickled through today with Swallow and House Martin numbers building up at Wigston sewage works, so ringing opportunities are anticipated in the next few weeks.
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