Saturday 12 June 2010

I was bird ringing this morning, so didn't do a full patch walk today, however, I still struck lucky, as I waited for my lift at 05:00hrs, I saw a MUTE SWAN (66) fly over my house, a species mostly only ever seen flying over my patch, with a rare visit to the Lake, so this is a bonus bird for June :-)

The ringing was not as productive as we thought it may have been, mainly due to the stronger than forecast wind blowing the mist nets about. We caught 15 birds of 8 species, the highlight of those being a WREN and a BLACKBIRD that were both ringed three years ago by us. A bigger thrill would have been ringing the first SWALLOW caught at our site in the 6 years of ringing birds here, but I managed to to let it slip the net as I was untangling it.........bugger!

A couple of short afternoon visits to Migrant Alley and the Tree Nursery this afternoon didn't throw up the two more new species for the month needed to take the June record, but GREY HERON, KESTREL and CORMORANT were seen going over, the latter just the second one recorded this month, and best of all a PEREGRINE FALCON flew over allowing a blurry photograph :-)

Back out for a full patch walk tomorrow morning, hopefully to find those two species.

Above and below, once again I found and photographed a Common Blue Butterfly - I cant resist!

Here's the Peregrine, not the best photo, but it's recognisable :-)




6 comments:

Ken. said...

Hi Warren.
Well done with the Mute Swan. How long have you been into ringing? It must give you some pleasure.
Not a bad record shot of the peregrine.
Good luck with tomorrow's walk.

Pete Woodruff said...

Nice photograph of the under-wing of the Common Blue Warren.

Don't want to be too gloomy but I've just read of two Peregrine Falcon chicks 'missing' from the nest....no prizes for guessing how come and a lesson for us all to remain as vigilant as possible in as many ways as possible.

Chris said...

Hi Warren,
I see you still got some fun even if you managed to get the swallow slip.... You will get another one, one day...
Got already 66 species for the month, not bad!!!!
I'm coming back from Agadir with 32 new species and 68 seen in less than 2 days of birding and some are still under ID investigation... Pretty good time i got there.

Kelly said...

....I love the photos of the butterfly--very pretty!

Anonymous said...

And i thought it was only the England goalkeeper that couldn`t hang on to things ;-)

Lancashire and Lakeland Outback Adventure Wildlife Safaris said...

Better peregrine than mine last Saturday Warren. Would you ask our blues to sit as still as yours - they're proving very tricky this season!
Bad luck with the swallow.
Cheers
Davo