Chris Newberry and I spent some time this morning judiciously pruning back the brambles alongside the railway track at our ringing site in Margam Park. This will allow us to leave the nets in place rather than remove them before the first train of the morning during the main Summer visiting season.
We could hear the newly arrived Chiffchaff calling from the woodland and two duly obliged us by stumbling into our nets with one sporting a ‘pollen horn’ suggesting it had spent the winter months in warmer climes.
Chiffchaff with ‘pollen horn’
One of the Robins we ringed displayed a pronounced ‘brood patch’ which meant she was probably incubating a clutch of eggs somewhere in the area.
Female Robin with ‘Brood Patch’
Our total for the short morning session was thirteen birds of seven species – Blue Tit (2) Chiffchaff (2) Goldcrest (2) Greenfinch (2) Robin (3) Treecreeper (1) Wren (1).
