 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 21st September 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Migrant ringing at Wigston sewerage works picked up this week. So many mornings through late summer I have been up ready for action only to take one look at the weather and go back to bed, but conditions have been quite good this week (still with early cloud cover). The catches have included quite a few young Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs hinting at a decent breeding season. Some images and notes on a few of this weeks birds below. Chris & Nigel ringed 20 Meadow Pipits at Charnwood Lodge today. We have also received details a couple of recoveries 1. a control Siskin from Chris's garden in Whitwick in March this year which had been ringed at East Grinstead West Sussex in February '09, and a Whitethroat I ringed at Wigston in May '08 sadly found dead on the Isle Of White on its way 'home' in April '09. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ageing Chiffchaffs can be tricky this time of year but a few first years show a moult limit between the new adult type greater coverts (left of the yellow line) and 3 retained juvenile coverts (right of the line). This is important as confirming that a bird was hatched this year helps with assessing breeding success. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| another first year bird, a male Blackcap. This shows just how post juvenile moult can transform birds as the juv brown cap is replaced with the black crown feathers charecteristic of males (above). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A rare find in recent years a juv male Linnet. This was one of a noteworthy flock of 70 birds which is an even rarer sight. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26th September 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Our bread and butter stuff this time of year is the last of the Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, so nothing prepared Andy Smith for the events of today. Around 9:30 he was doing a routine net round on 'the rough' (a private mini nature area behind his house in Thornton) and look what turned up .... a first for Leicestershire & Rutland, a pretty rare bird anywhere inland and as can be seen from Matthew Berriman's excellent photo a rather nice little bird. In case you are not in to LBJ's (little brown jobs) it's a juvenile Common Rosefinch. In my first proper bird book (Fitter et al) they used to be called Scarlet Rosefinch, which I much prefer, but when it's not a male in breeding plumage I guess that is a rather pretentious title. Then again the prefix 'common' is not exactly appropriate either! Many thanks to Matthew for kind permission to use his photo and all those who visited and donated generously to the ringing group. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| juv Common Rosefinch (Matthew Berriman) click on image to enlarge |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| next page
home |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||