20200427 A slow day yesterday on Head Down, but with some interest.

The day’s catch was 19 birds of nine species, with only one (Great) Tit late in the day. They must be well into breeding up here now though I have yet to find a used nestbox except one with a Wood Mouse. A third recent unringed Bullfinch, female, was a pleasure because I have also seen an unringed male so we have two pairs breeding nearby. Ringing an unwary Woodpigeon was a chore. My focus was on six migrants. Four blackcaps were as follows:

Two New

AAF3272 Male aged 5 Fat 0 CP3 Wt 17.6 g.

AAF3273 Female aged 5 Fat 0.5 BP1 Wt 21.5g.

and two retraps

AAF3270 Male Aged 5 Fat 0 C 3. Wt 16.5g. This bird was ringed four days previously 23/04 when he was not in identifiable breeding condition, had a fat score of 4 and weighed 17.6 gms.

AAF3253 Male Aged 5 Fat 0.5 C3 Wt 17.6g. This bird was ringed on 12 April i.e. 15 days earlier when like the above bird he was not in breeding condition. At that time he had a fat score of 5 and a weight of 19.6g.

The speed at which these birds settle down, using post-migration fat stores to come in to breeding condition and to sing dawn to dusk to attract a mate fascinates me. No time to lose if the weather is right.

A…..73 and A…53 were close together in the net and I imagine them as a breeding pair, the female arriving more recently.

On the next net round there were two Phylloscopus warblers close together in the net, albeit approached from different sides. Ahhhh I thought, another breeding pair, chiffs this time. The first was a chiff and the second a Willow Warbler (my first this year). How one can be misled by assumptions.