Yellow Bunt

I could have caught a few Thrushes this morning at my feeding station but I thought it was too windy at first and delayed putting any nets up in the dark, so when I did get them up it was coming light and the Fieldfare and Redwing that I pulled down could see the net.

It was a murky morning with low cloud and you could feel the moisture in the air. Good numbers of Starlings, I counted 16,435, were arriving from a roost to the west and heading off to the east to feed. Some alighted on the telegraph wires in the field behind the feeding station and when they took off from the wires they 'twanged' like a giant elastic band. If you missed the amazing amateur video footage of a 'murmeration' of Starlings on the River Shannon in Ireland, shown on 'Autumnwatch' last Friday (18th), have a look below.

Approximately 148 Tree Sparrows, 16 Chaffinch and 4 Yellowhammers were at the feeding station.

 Tree Sparrow

Chaffinch

I managed to ring 31 birds this morning as follows (recaptures in brackets):

Chaffinch - 4
Blue Tit - 8 (11)
Tree Sparrow - 6
Coal Tit - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 8
Great Tit - 2 (2)
Yellowhammer - 1
Dunnock - 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker - (1)

 Blue Tit

Yellowhammer

The only other entry in my notebook is a Sparrowhawk that made a couple of unsuccessful attempts to catch a Starling out of a massive 'wheeling' flock. The weather is turning westerly later in the week, but not getting any colder.

Starlings