A Slow Start

I was back at the Obs this morning, but this time armed with mist nets, or should I say mist net! There was a niggley northeasterly wind that meant all I could put up was one 60 foot net. After an hour or so all I had ringed were four birds and I was about to pack up when I started to catch and in the end I ringed 23 birds as follows:

Chaffinch - 1
Meadow Pipit - 2
Goldfinch - 1
Blackbird - 2
Greenfinch - 14
Chiffchaff - 1
Wren - 1
Dunnock - 1

 Meadow Pipit

Some of the Greenfinches I was catching were showing 

evidence of feeding on rose hips.

A Barn Owl was out at first light again and the Buzzard also made an appearance again and was also mobbed by a Kestrel once again! The only other raptor was an immature male Sparrowhawk that shot across the middle meadow a foot from the ground!

There was a bit of vis this morning in the form of a Tree Sparrow, twelve Redwings, 305 Jackdaws, seven Meadow Pipits, three Chaffinches, 120 Pink-footed Geese, four Alba Wags, 65 Greenfinches, four Linnets, a Grey Wagtail and two Skylarks.

 Greenfinch

 Jackdaws

Grounded migrants were thin on the ground with just a Song Thrush and a Chiffchaff. Later in the morning Gail and I had a walk on the estuary and had 54 Redshanks and a pair of Peregrines.

 Chiffchaff

The forecast is looking okay tomorrow for operating mist nets again so I'll give it another go!