Chicks and Moths

This morning Craig and I found ourselves in the Hodder Valley checking boxes and ringing pulli. The main purpose of today's visit was to hopefully ring the four broods of Pied Flycatchers and we were particularly interested to know if the brood of 9 had survived.

We ringed three broods of Pied Flycatchers; a 6, 6 and an 8. The brood of 9 I mentioned were now a brood of 8 as there was an unhatched egg in the nest. From the boxes we also ringed a brood of 7 Great Tits.

Pied Flycatcher chicks queuing up in a bird bag
waiting to be ringed

Pied Flycatcher chick

Last week a male Pied Wagtail that had given us the slip in terms of we couldn't find its nest, gave itself up this week courtesy of the owners of the site. After we had left they watched the bird and found where it was nesting. It was nesting in a wood shed along with a pair of Wrens and Blackbirds. Four large Pied Wag chicks were duly ringed.

Pied Wagtail chick

We also ringed 6 large Wrens from the nest below. The female Blackbird was brooding small young, so we left her alone. Interestingly the owners put a camera on the Blackbirds nest and live pictures are continually beamed into the education room.

Wren's nest with chicks 'peeking' out

The Blackbird nest, and if you look closely you can
just see the female sitting. Honestly!

Back at home I had quite a good haul in my moth trap and if I identified them all correctly I had 3 Brimstone Moths, Green Pug, 13 Heart and Darts, 2 Flame shoulders, 4 Light Brown Apple Moths, Grey Pug, Cabbage Moth, Garden Carpet, Common Pug, Marbled Minor, Middle-barred Minor and Dusky Brocade.

Brimstone Moth