Slow start to 2013

A lot of hours put in these last 2 week for very little. It has been mild though. The weather has got colder in the last two days, a planned visit today to the Dhoon valley feeder site was cancelled due to the sleet and wind.
This site is just being fed with nyger and already 30 Siskin and 18 Goldfinch have been ringed.
The Linnets at the Point have slowed down now and i am starting to recapture a few the big surprise is the 57 Lesser Redpoll I have ringed here since November. The Redpolls are there most days mixed in with the Linnet and are always the firsts birds to feed. The Point of Ayre isn't really the terrotory for these small finches and when i first started catching them i thought they were just moving through, not the case as 10 retraps the other day.


I had a nice afternoon at Port Lewaigue on Wednesday a good spot of winter ringing
with Long tailed Tits Wren and Goldcrests. I have not ringed at this site for 3 months as it is underwater most of the time there is a big problem with an underground spring.


So far in 2012  New  retrap

Rock Pipit                    (1)
Wren                   1
Dunnock             3
Robin                  1
Goldcrest            4        (3)
Long tailed Tit    5
Coal Tit               2
Blue Tit               2
Great Tit                        (2)
Chaffinch            2
Goldfinch            3
Siskin                 24        (2)
Linnet                26        ( 3)
Lesser Redpoll     8       (10)

                           81       21

A lot of hours put in these last 2 week for very little. It has been mild though. The weather has got colder in the last two days, a planned visit today to the Dhoon valley feeder site was cancelled due to the sleet and wind.
This site is just being fed with nyger and already 30 Siskin and 18 Goldfinch have been ringed.
The Linnets at the Point have slowed down now and i am starting to recapture a few the big surprise is the 57 Lesser Redpoll I have ringed here since November. The Redpolls are there most days mixed in with the Linnet and are always the firsts birds to feed. The Point of Ayre isn't really the terrotory for these small finches and when i first started catching them i thought they were just moving through, not the case as 10 retraps the other day.


I had a nice afternoon at Port Lewaigue on Wednesday a good spot of winter ringing
with Long tailed Tits Wren and Goldcrests. I have not ringed at this site for 3 months as it is underwater most of the time there is a big problem with an underground spring.


So far in 2012  New  retrap

Rock Pipit                    (1)
Wren                   1
Dunnock             3
Robin                  1
Goldcrest            4        (3)
Long tailed Tit    5
Coal Tit               2
Blue Tit               2
Great Tit                        (2)
Chaffinch            2
Goldfinch            3
Siskin                 24        (2)
Linnet                26        ( 3)
Lesser Redpoll     8       (10)

                           81       21