Post date: Aug 31, 2012 7:20:52 PM
It's been an intensive week since the great ringing session last monday (see previous post). On tuesday, I tried catching Aquatic Warblers on a new site: it rained the whole morning, but I managed to get one more, as well as a couple of Grasshopper Warblers (there were also loads of Yellow-crowned Bishops and most were adult females with brood patches, which seem to prefer Typha stands for breeding). Next week I'll try again at this new site, hopefully with much better weather (and results!).
On wednesday I was ringing on my own, and for the first time in a while didn't get any aquatics.
LPS, CC and EC, now also with SM, tried again, unsuccessfully, to get some Yellow Wagtails on thursday evening. I decided not to participate, but they got me a new Reed Bunting to color-ring! This morning, however, with all these people as well as PMA (which I invited to measure some stuff in Aquatic Warblers), we had another great session, with almost 70 birds caught of 19 species, including two new aquatics and the first Bluethroats (they're later than usual though).
I also managed to show an Aquatic Warbler in the field to PR, who came from Lisbon just to see them, and to PMA. This was an exception though, do not expect me to show these birds to everyone, or indeed anyone, who contacts me and wants to add them to their personal list or to photograph them.
The ringing totals of the week excluding monday are the following:
Acrocephalus arundinaceus (1)
Acrocephalus paludicola 3
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus 4
Acrocephalus scirpaceus 27 (1)
Anthus triviallis 24
Caprimulgus europaeus 1
Euplectes afer 14 (4)
Ficedula hypoleuca 4 (3)
Hippolais polyglotta 5
Hirundo rustica 6
Locustella luscinioides 3 (1)
Locustella naevia 6
Luscinia megarhynchus 2
Luscinia svecica 2
Muscicapa striata 1
Parus major (4)
Passer montanus 2
Phylloscopus trochilus 5 (1)
Sylvia atricapilla (1)
Sylvia borin 3
Sylvia communis 1
I just got the news that one of the aquatics that I ringed last year was retrapped in Belgium in mid august. Nice!
Cheers
JMN