This is the beginning of such an exciting time of year--and it comes round every year!! Breeding is coming to an end and migration is just getting started so anything can turn up amongst the big numbers of juvenile birds which are leaving the safety of their nests.
A couple of days ago Paul hit the jackpot with this little beauty......
This is a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker--just note how small it is--not much bigger than a sparrow! Next time anyone suggests they have seen a Lesser Spot, just ask them how big the bird was--most often they have seen a Great Spot. This is a juvenile bird as can be seen by the merest hint of pink on the forehead. Adult males have a red cap and females no red. Only a handful of these birds are ringed each year; not only are they quite rare, they tend to inhabit the tops of high trees. Fortunately this one found one of our nets--what a diamond bird!!
Now something less rare but quite interesting I hope....
These are both the same species!! They are both juvenile Willow Warblers. However, the bird on the left has gone through a post fledging moult and as a result the chest and belly are covered in these lemon yellow feathers. The other bird is a bit younger and is only just starting this moult. You can see some of the yellow feathers coming through to replace the rather drab grey fledging feathers. These are one of the first species to start migration so we are pretty sure when these appear--as tey did this week, tat things are on the move!!
How smart is this adult Moorhen!? Larger birds like this don't often stay in our nets--they flap and roll out very easily. However, we have a variety of walk-in traps which are much more effective, especially when they are baited with food the birds find irresistible.
I will try to keep up, but we are very busy trying to keep up with a large number of birds passing through, but I promise I'll try.......who knows what will turn up next?
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