Monday, October 18, 2021
On Sunday I got hindered by other tasks in posting on the blog so saved it until today. Nothing much to report except that the morning was grey and miserable, so rather than birding or trying to take photographs with a 400mm in poor light I spent a couple of hours ringing in the garden. It was pretty unexciting but a couple of surprise birds turned up in the catch of 8 birds.
After two cold winters in 2010 and 2011 the population of our smallest UK bird the Goldcrest must be fairly low, but luckily when two flitted about the damson trees it was only a matter of a few minutes before one found the net, 5 grams of feathers and not much else.
Also fairly scarce around here at the moment are Greenfinches, their population still suffering due to the effects of the Trichomonosis virus, so it is heartening to say that not only I have heard a few “gringos” singing recently, but they have also joined in with the Goldfinches in visiting garden feeders. Just one caught, a colourful first winter male.
Other birds caught: 2 Great Tit and 1 each of Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Dunnock and Wren.
