Pirate saves the day!

Things were not looking good in my garden. Only two birds and it was after 11:30. So I put some bread out. Some time later still nothing. 

Then a band of aerial pirates sailed in. Two of them swooped down and sped off with a piece of plunder but the third got caught in the rigging. I shot out and managed to wrestle the fiend from the net with only a few bites. But it saved the day. My first Black-headed gull from a mist net. A perky 5M on total head. Sorry about the less than glamorous photo.

It's looking good.

Just when your about to call it a day something great comes along. A really smart Pied wagtail! And it's always nice to find a pair of Goldcrest in the net. 

A pair of Blackcap are loitering in the bushes. Maybe I'll be lucky. The berries on the holly bush over the road are nearly all gone so I'm hoping to have a few Redwing in the garden soon. Stunning birds.

You Beauty

Another good day in my friend Helen's garden. Goldfinch can be tricky at times. This one does have red behind the eye but with brown on the should and white tipped primaries in good condition it is a 6F. 

The Great-spotted woodpecker was my first on my own. What a delightful 6M. Caught just short of 300 birds since December so very pleased.

Garden Update

What a great start to the year. I've processed 75 birds so far in 2012 and it is only 6th of Jan. Finally caught a Song thrush in the garden and a stunning male Nuthatch. I have ringed over 40 new Goldfinch in my garden since December. Amazing, I thought that I had the same 10 or so every day.