A weekend visit to the Wash Wader Ringing Group was productive. This was only my second ever visit.

Saturday morning brought a catch of c.150 Oystercather and c.15 Bar-Tailed Godwits. For my first time, I ringed 15 Oystercatcher and 2 Bar-Tailed Godwit.



Above: Bar-Tailed Godwit



Above: An Oystercatcher in the 'ringing position.'



Above: An oystercatcher in a plastic tube (this is safe and does not hurt the bird), it is now ready for weighing.

A night time Mist netting session brought 190 + birds. Night time mist netting and catching waders this way was a new experience for me. I sucessfully extracted a couple of Dunlin, a Bar-Tailed Godwit and a few Redshank. I part extracted 4 more including a Turnstone).



Above: My first time ringing a Black - Tailed Godwit.



More photographs to follow as I ringed a Grey Plover for the first time. Knot, Dunlin and Redshank were the other species I ringed. Dunlin was the only species caught on Sunday morning tide - I didn't ring any this time as I was getting some experience of processing wading birds (taking measurements of bill & head and bill length + weighing).

An early night tonight as I am very tired!

16/10/08

A full day at Priory Country Park brought a lot of birds. Greenfinch (as below) were the most numerous.

My 1st Ringing Pliers

Above: My own ringing pliers.




Above & below: The 1st ever species (Chaffinch) I ringed with my new set of pliers.





Below: 2nd ever species (Redwing) with my new ringing pliers.





Below: 3rd ever species (blackbird) with my new ringing pliers. A possible, migratory, continental blackbird.



Below: Head up, breathe in, chest out and say cheese! Mr Robin adds "This is the proudest moment of my life. To be able donate my biometrics to science is the stuff of robinhood dreams! Thanks go to my parents, Lord & Lady Loxley. For the future, I hope to give this silver ring and the precious information contained therein to the poor ringers in Nottingham!

Wentworth Jigsaws

Another Wentworth Jigsaw, more birds but not by Thorburn this time. Martin Ridley is responsible for this design - a family of Great Spotted Woodpeckers.



As usual, whimsies were included (see below).