Today stated with nice calm weather round the nets.

The garden is alive with Painted Lady butterflies but they are not the only new arrivals. It may be the middle of June but today 7 acrocephalus warblers were caught, with some Reed Warblers singing in the garden. Not so much a fall, but a stumble. Nonetheless showing birds are still moving north.

A female Blackcap was also caught with an interesting hair style. Aged as a 3k+ (euring code 6). 

As birds get older oestrogen levels reduce and testosterone becomes more dominant with male features coming to the fore. Old female Reed Buntings can also show black head. Like little old ladies getting moustaches.

Totals for today:-

Wren                      1

Icterine Warbler     1              (2)

Willow Warbler      2

Marsh Warbler       3

Reed Warbler         4

Lesser Whitethroat  1

Blackcap                   1

Whitethroat               1

Chaffinch                   1 

Blackbird                                 (1)

Totals                          15        (3)

Hilsen

Nigel

Is that the first time Freddie Mercury has been quoted on GFU blog?

The storm was so ferocious that netting could not be started until 08:30. But spirits were high in the house and I was ready for what the morning brought.

Marginally better than recent days with 11 new birds and only one retrap.

With an increased number of birds I have restarted the occasional series of competions.

Today, a male Linnet turned up expecting to be in the "Most Beautiful Bird" competition that we run last week. The excuse for lateness was the poor train service to Nykoping and the non-existence of a replacement bus service. Suggested closer attention to the Tweets.

Male Linnet

But todays competition has been won by an Icterine Warbler who has been crowned as "Bird with the Biggest Attitude". Due to the fact that there is a No Publicity Agreement in place an image of the winner is not available.

Here are todays totals.

Marsh Warbler             2

Reed Warbler               1

Icterine Warbler             1            (1)

Lesser Whitethroat        1

Whitethroat                    1

Chiffchaff                        2

Chaffinch                        2

Linnet                             1

Totals                              11               (1)

That's all for now.

Nigel

Nets open at 4.00 as usual to light rain. Radar suggested that it had just passed. By 4.45 it was heavy, persistant rain. Nets closed until 06.40 then dry and progressively sunny until 12.00 when I got fed up. One bird, female Chaffinch at . Decided to finish mowing the lawns that I started yesterday. Amazing the number of Painted Lady butterflies around this year. Not unusual to see 20 at a time.

If you need it in table form here you are:

Chaffinch     1

Total             1

Enjoy your day. I will.

Nigel

Not really much to say about today, again.

Another 1k Linnet presumably from the same brood as the bird caught yesterday. I've seen an adult female collecting nesting materials in the last couple of days. So a second brood is on the way.

Here are the totals:-

Icterine Warbler          2

Blackcap                     1

Chiffchaff                     1        (1)

Linnet                           1

Lesser Whitethroat                 (1)

Total                            5          (2)

Hilsen

Nigel

Typical coastal weather today. Clear skies and a strong breeze.

Unfortunately, not very good for catching birds. Of the three unringed birds that we caught two were a bit special. The first was a female Red-backed Shrike.

Red-backed Shrike female

The second bird worth mentioning was the first 1k bird of the year. A young Linnet, old enough to be independent of it's parents but obviously a first year bird due to it's fresh plumage-

1k Linnet

Here are todays totals,

Blackcap       1

Red-backed Shrike      1

Linnet          1

Lesser Whitethroat        (1)

Icterine Warbler             (1)

Whitethroat                    (1)

Totals        3                   (3)

TTFN

Nigel

Yes heavy rain then we managed to open a few nets at 10:00am under strong winds. So we only managed to ring 7 birds and 5 recaptures.

Here we go:-

Tree Pipit       1

Marsh Warbler     1

Reed Warbler    2

Icterine Warbler   1     (1)

Garden Warbler    1     (1)

Rosefinch                (1)

Lesser Whitethroat       (2)

Totals                       7      (5)

Hilsen,

Nigel

There was a real storm out on the Baltic yesterday afternoon and rain continued over night. All cleared up by morning and the morning started calm and cloudy. Still no birds in the nets though. Here are the totals:-

Marsh Warbler      1

Icterine Warbler     4        (4)

Whitethroat             2        (1)

Garden Warbler      1        (1)

Chaffinch                 1

Greenfinch               1

Linnet                       2

Lesser Whitethroat           (2)

Totals                     13          (8)

Well it was much the same as yesterday with only 8 new birds and 5 retraps.

A sideways on Chaffinch. I can't get the software to rotate the image.

The same Chaffinch showing contrast between the primary coverts and the greater coverts indicating that it is a 2k (age3)

So, there we are. It was a bit slow this morning so I held a competition. I am pleased to announce that the male Chaffinch was this mornings winner of the "Most Beautiful Bird" compeition. Remember, it's not the winning but the taking part.

Here are todays humble totals.

Icterine Warbler     3   (1)

Lesser Whitethroat   1  (3)

Whitethroat          1

Blackcap               2

Chaffinch              1

Chiffchaff                     (1)

Hilsen

Nigel

Today started with anticipation. Birders had told me "it would be a good day". Nice weather to start with a light breeze. This soon grew stronger for a short time. Then it died down and we were left with calm and warm (hot by 09:00) conditions. 

But no birds, two in the last 3 hours. Waiting for that one migrant that would change everything.

So no pictures today unless you want to see an empty net, or a selfie of a bored Englishman drinking coffee.

Here are the totals:- (sorry I really tried to catch something)

White Wagtail        1

Icterine Warbler     2   (1)

Lesser Whitethroat  1  (2)

Garden Warbler       2

Chiffchaff                 1   (2)

Redstart                        (1)

Total                        7    (6)

Enjoy the sunshine, I know I will.

Hilsen

Nigel

Even the first net round seemed different with the first bird from the net being a Spotted Flycatcher. The second round is often thought more productive than the first with the birds having got up and done what birds do when they first get up. This time a nice male Red-backed Shrike had jumped into the nets.

The rest of the morning was brisk with with time to look at the birds in details. The retrap Greenfinch that I caught was still carrying a piece of moss when it got caught in the net. At this time of year a resident bird may be on it's second brood, while summer visitors will still be on eggs or have young chicks. The Redstart in the garden is on eggs. I'll let you know when they hatch.

Most females of passerines develop a brood patch (rugeplet) when nesting. They lose belly feathers and the blood vessels become closer to the surface. This enables the eggs to stay warm. The brood patch remains until the chicks are able to control their own body temperature. Examining the birds today shows that most of the warblers are at the egg/small young stage.

I've photographed a brood patch on a Lesser Whitethroat. A bit of out of focus rubbish, but difficult trying to blow a birds belly and photograph the evidence is not easy. You get the idea.

Lesser Whitethroat brood patch (rugeplet)

Sometimes you can't aways anticipate what you are going to get in the nets. There are things that you want:-

Things you don't want:-

And things you definitely don't want:-

A big hornet (gedehams). I found a new use for my ringing pliers.

Here are today's totals:-

Redstart                1

Marsh Warbler      2

Reed Warbler        1

Icterine Warbler      6

Lesser Whitethroat  1    (2)

Garden Warbler       3     (1)

Blackcap                 1

Chiffchaff                  2

Willow Warbler         5

Spotted Flycatcher    1

Pied Flycatcher        1

Red-backed Shrike   2

Common Rosefinch   1

Greenfinch                  0       (1)

Totals                          27       (4)

Have a good evening and don't let the stingers sting.

Hilsen

Nigel