Morning ends with a quick Dip...

I went up to Haigh this morning and was joined by John G. There was more of a breeze than we would have liked as the baited site isn’t sheltered from the wind when there is any easterly component to it. However it was very overcast so we decided to give it a go and put up three nets.

The first net round only produced 8 birds which was less than expected given the snow cover and cold conditions of the past few days. In fact there was a surprising lack of birds in general, especially tits, with only 1 Great Tit and 1 Coal Tit caught or seen! Goldfinches were largely conspicuous by their absence with none coming to the feeders and only a couple being heard flying overhead.

The catching rate didn’t improve and the easterly breeze started to pick up so we packed up at 10am.

Given the time we decided to go to another site a short drive away to look for Dippers. We put a 30ft net across the river and then checked the area out, flushing 2 Woodcock in the process but seeing little else. A little while later a Dipper was in the net and quickly extracted. It was a new bird and not one of the pair I had ringed at this same location last spring. A nice end to an otherwise lacklustre morning.

Dipper (Cinclus cinclus)

Dipper (Cinclus cinclus)

Ringing totals for 20/01/13 with retraps in brackets.
Blackbird 1 (7)
Blue Tit 1 (7)
Brambling 2 (1)
Chaffinch 3
Coal tit - (1)
Dipper 1
Great Tit – (1)
Greenfinch 1 (1)
Robin 3 (3)
Total 33 (12 new and 21 retraps)