4th CES session

Post date: Jun 6, 2016 3:59:06 PM

With 19 birds of 10 species, today's CES session was the best so far. Nets were open at 4:30 am, under an overcast sky and mild temperature (14ºC), and the first juvenile of the CES was immediately caught, a young Marsh Tit. Other juveniles of the day included a Blackbird and a Dunnock. The highlight of the session was probably the male Redstart (first of the year), followed by the first Marsh Warbler of the CES in 2016 and the second Thrush Nightingale. The commonest species was the Reed Warbler (five birds) and then the Sedge Warbler (three), and in addition to those mentioned there were also a single Garden Warbler and two Great tits. As usual, the full results are presented here.

Second-year male Redstart (P. phoenicurus) which in my book, as far as colorful birds go, is pretty nice!

Two views of an adult male Thrush Nightingale (L. luscinia)

An adult female Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus), apparently in good condition, with a brood patch score of 3 (i.e. has eggs or very small nestling), but with a severe infection of, I think, Papillomavirus (which is quite common in this species)

I did carry out two other sessions during the past week in other sites around Krankesjön, to obtain blood samples of less common species for our malaria study. During these sessions I caught two Red-backed Shrikes, the first Marsh Warbler of the year, as well as the very first juveniles of the year (Marsh Tits and a single Long-tailed Tit). Photos of some of these birds can be seen in my Flickr webpage, and the results are included here.

As the number of birds is still quite low (despite increasing), there was time to photograph some of the very many dragonflies around, as well as a very large moth!

Privet Hawk Moth (Sphinx ligustri)

Downy Emerald (Cordulia aenea)

Male Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum)

Detail of a Green-eyed Hawker (Aeshna isoceles)

Male Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa)

Till next time...

Júlio M. Neto