A weather-affected catch this morning. The northerly wind resulted in open skies, and it was becoming light by 05:50. We didn’t get the snipe nets up quite in time, as birds were coming into day roost by 05:40. The moderate wind didn’t help either, and three of the four nets we had up billowed all morning.
While small, however, the catch was diverse. It is summarised in the table below:
|
Species
|
New
|
Recaptured
|
Total
|
|
Blue Tit
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Brambling
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Chaffinch
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
Chiffchaff
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Dunnock
|
|
2
|
2
|
|
Goldcrest
|
3
|
|
3
|
|
Goldfinch
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
Great Tit
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
Marsh Tit
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Nuthatch
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Reed Bunting
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Robin
|
|
3
|
3
|
|
Siskin
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
Snipe
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Wren
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
Grand Total
|
14
|
9
|
23
|
Features of the catch were the first marsh tit since Autumn 2014, and the first nuthatch since Autumn 2016 (both are common in local woodlands). We also caught the twenty-second snipe and the twelfth brambling of the year to date, along with our first chiffchaff of the year. The mix of winter and summer migrants is a sure indicator that spring is coming, irrespective of recent weather.
The marsh tit was first noted when in the net. Normally, on the odd occasion we have captured willow or marsh tit we have heard them first. We therefore had to confirm the identification before ringing the bird.
The bird had a neat, well-defined black bib, no pale panel in the secondaries (the wing was uniform in colour), a short, conical bill, glossy cap, and pale cutting edges to both the upper and lower mandibles of the bill. The wing length was in the zone of overlap between marsh and willow tit, but the tail shape was typical of marsh tit. There was a very limited change in length between the outer tail feathers and the shortest tail feathers (this can be fairly pronounced in willow tit), albeit the tail was a little worn. All features pointed to the bird being a marsh tit. The bird did not call on release, but was heard calling a few minutes later. We forgot to photograph it, as we were keen to release it, as the morning was cold. It sat in a bush a few minutes later, and we were able to get some very poor (phone) record shots.
Thanks to this morning’s team of Heather Coats, Stephen Vickers, Kirsty Franklin, Sophie de Grissac and Richard Dann.
Owain Gabb
20/03/2018
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| Nuthatch (Richard Dann) |
 |
| Nuthatch (Richard Dann) |
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| Spot the Marsh TiT |
