No prizes for guessing.

Yes it was more Redwings for me at Billinge this morning and to apply part of the marketing blurb of a well known larger it is probably the best site for ringing Redwings in the world, well perhaps not the world but it must be up there somewhere. It was a much smaller movement today with around 500 Redwings heading south from just before sunrise up to 9am when the movement fizzled out. A few other thrushes were noted with 45 Fieldfares moving south while a total of 11 Song Thrush and 5 Blackbirds were going in a variety of directions.

This Redwing was a bit darker than average with blackish spotting to the upper breast and blackish stripes to the sides of the throat. There is more variation in the strength of the markings than is often appreciated.

Goldcrests are still moving through in reasonable numbers and given the influxes on the east coast a few could be of Scandinavian origin. The control Goldcrest caught today had a British ring from the series starting HJV and details of where it was originally ringed will be posted in due course.

The control Goldcrest.

Warblers have been few and far between recently so it was nice to catch a Blackcap and a Chiffchaff today. They are unlikely to be the last of the year but they just might be.

We are at the stage where this Blackcap could either be an arriving winter visitor or a late departing summer visitor. It wasn't carrying much fat so if it is a departing summer migrant it won't be going very far in a hurry .

This was the first Chiffchaff to be seen at the site since 9th October.

Ringing totals (retraps & controls in brackets) for 20th October were: Redwing 55; Song Thrush 3; Blackbird 4 (1); Goldcrest 10 (1); Robin 1; Blackcap 1; Chiffchaff 1; Coal Tit 1. Total 76 new birds, 1 retrap and 1 control.