Evaluation

Post date: Jan 18, 2015 12:59:14 PM

Yesterday, I had the visit of LPS and PBL with whom I carried out a ringing session at Salreu marshlands, Portugal. The objective was to evaluate PBL, who has been a ringing trainee of a friend (PQT) for the last three years. If he managed to undertake all the procedures efficiently and correctly, producing reliable data, then I would write a letter to the Portuguese Ringing Centre supporting his application for a full ringing permit. This was the second time that PBL visited me, and we had also met briefly a couple of times in the past few years. Hence, I already had a pretty good idea of what he could do, so I could focus on the sometimes tricky business of determining the age and sex of birds.

The session was pretty nice, despite the cold, and we caught 42 birds of 12 species:

Aegithalus caudatus 2 (3)

Anthus spinoletta 1

Cetia cetti 1 (2)

Cisticola juncidis 1

Emberiza schoeniclus 16

Erithacus rubecula 3 (1)

Parus caeruleus 1

Parus major 1 (1)

Phylloscopus collybita 2 (3)

Saxicola rubicola (1)

Troglodytes troglodytes (1)

Turdus merula 1

This included two E. s. lusitanica, as well as one of the largest Reed Buntings of the nominate subspecies that I have ever ringed: an adult male with a wing length of 88 mm! I also particularly liked trapping the first Water Pipit of the year, so I will show a picture of it!

Ooh, and by the way, PBL did pretty well, clearly improving since the last time we met, so I will be writing the letter!

JMN