This was our last farmland bird ringing session of the winter, I was going to ring on the Salisbury Plain but the forecast was too windy for an exposed site like the plain but this site is tucked away behind dense hedgerows and so is virtually devoid of the effects of wind.
I was joined by Paul A and young Noah and his mum and we all suffered a bit in the bitterly cold conditions.
We ringed a steady stream of Blackcaps and Yellowhammers were everywhere and we also ringed a bonus Jay. We retrapped a couple of birds that were originally ringed 3km away at a site that has now been devastated by the construction of a 'solar farm'. Star bird of the morning was a beautiful Stock Dove, the forgotten farmland bird. We ring quite a few nestling Stock Doves but an adult is a rare capture.
We finished early so that I could get to watch my son play rugby but by then we had ringed 61 and processed 26 retraps. MP, PA, NW
Yellowhammer 34 (5), Blackcap 11, Chaffinch 6 (2), Goldfinch 2, Tree Sparrow 0 (2), House Sparrow 1 (1), Bullfinch 0 (4), Reed Bunting 0 (1), Stock Dove 1, Jay 1, Song Thrush 1, Robin 0 (1), Wren 1, Dunnock 1 (5), Great Tit 1 (2), Blue Tit 1 (2)
