Garden ringing

A handful of birds ringed in the garden this morning - two new female Blackbirds first thing were followed by a selection of the usual suspects (Greenfinch, Goldfinch) and a retrap Coal Tit. This is the first retrap CoaTi in the garden, after ringing a rather surprising six in the last month. Some pictures of this bird at first ringing - back on the 13th September, and a nice adult male Greenfinch from earlier in the year - just for the hell of it!

Winter seems to be heading in to the region now: Redwing (Turdus iliacus) and Fieldfare (T. pilaris) passing over regularly along with a smattering of Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) and Meadow Pipits (Anthus pratensis). One of our local Woodlarks (Lullula arborea) has begun to sing again on sunny days - yesterday I watched him looping high in the air, singing hard whilst flying in what I can only describe as a bouncy circle. This is a species that only moved in to the village in the last 12 months, presumably benefiting from the weedy stubble fields that are being left into the winter.


Coal Tit (Periparus ater)

Adult male Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)