Goldfest

Another long day at Druridge and I am now totally zonked!

We were ringing from 6.45am until 5.30pm, we caught 116 birds including 4 retraps  - not bad at all!

We caught a gint of goldcrests and a hod of robins too, we caught nothing unusual or even scarce and we were so busy ringing I didn't even have time for any birding between net-rounds. Best birds of the day were pied flycatcher, garden warbler, meadow pipit and two blackcaps.

nice bright male siskin

meadow pipit

pied flycatcher

We failed to catch yesterdays barred warbler or 'dark phyllosc'

Between net rounds, a skein of c800 pink-foooted geese flew south at dawn and for the first three hours there was a steady stream, of skylarks moving through, maybe 30-40 per hour. A nice male brambling was on the short grass near the dunes and a kestrel, mobbed by ten pipits and wagtails was hunting in the dunes.

Ringing Totals:

robin 28 + 2 retraps
blackbird 3 + 1 retrap
goldcrest 43
blue tit 9
meadow pipit 1
siskin 9
blackcap 2
chiffchaff 3
long-tailed tit 5
garden warbler 1
song thrush 3
goldfinch 1
pied flycatcher 1
wren 3 + retrap

A year to the day, Tom Cadwallender, Neil Anderson and myself caught this little beauty at Druridge...

Radde's warbler