Priory - 18th Sept

As this was the first day that the wind had died down, took it into my head to net the Rough. Starting at 7 am, I processed the first birds at 8 o'clock. I had a 40 foot by the feeding station as well as 4 other nets scattered round the area.

Took 55 birds of 13 species with only 5 adult birds (all retraps, naturally). Oldest bird was a 2005 juv male Blackbird, plus an '07 female Bullfinch.

The list: GRSWO 1, Wren (1), Dunno 2 (3), Blabi 1 (2), BLACA 2, CHIFF 6, Lotti 4 [first for quite a while], Bluti 8 (2), Greti 13 (2), Chaff 1, Grefi 2, GOLFI 4, Bullf (1). I 'lost' a young Golfi and a young Grefi - wrong side of the net.

Early on, Dave K had a Spot Fly hanging round the ringing table but it went in the opposite direction to the nets. Paradoxically, in the early afternoon, I 2 (poss 3) Spot Flicks in the Long Hedge opposite the net to the new feeding station (the Laburnum). We also had 16 House Martins checking out a male Sparr as it sallied across the nets. Later, about midday, I spooked a Redstart on the sunny side of the Long hedge where it abuts the dipping platform; naturally, it went "the other way"!

One of the Chiffs was exceedingly olive and yellow compared to all the other five, which were browny and buff as you would expect. It didn't check out as one of our occaisional hybrid Willow-Chiffs. There were another 3 or 4 Chiffys about that didn't make the nets (or if they did, I wasn't there and they managed to escape)
The Great Spot was completing its PJ moult. It was a male and discernable as a 1CY by the old greater and primary coverts. I must admit, they were not easily spotted on this individual.

Take away the 25 tits and the day brought forth a good selection of 30 birds of another 11 species. Well worth the day out . I packed up at 3 pm, tired, hungry and thirsty.