Again I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go bird ringing a few weeks ago thanks to a helpful friend offering to give me a lift.
We caught a small variety of birds, all common, but nonetheless it was nice to see them in the hand.
Ringing list (as far as I can remember – numbers are approximate)
4 Blackbirds
4 Robins
4 Goldcrests
6 Long Tailed Tits
3 Goldfinches
3 Blue Tits
2 Dunnocks
Of all the information that came in one ear, the two that didn’t go out the other (after staying for a siesta in the middle) were the following:
Aging Blackbirds – the yellower the eye and beak, the older the bird. The darker, the younger
Sexing Goldfinches: – if the red face mask extends past the eye, then it is male.
The most tense part of the day’s ringing was in our final net round, where we accidentally flushed a female sparrowhawk right past the mist net! Unfortunately it didn’t quite get caught.
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