Mist netting 28/9/26 & 6/10/26

We've had two more mist netting sessions in the vicinity of the Discovery Hut since our visit to Lundy. On 28th Sept we caught 45 birds of 14 species, of which 41 birds were new.  The totals are shown in the table below. There were four of us, three qualified ringers, plus new member Grace came along for her first ringing session. 

	Ringed	Retrapped	Control
Blackcap	4
Blue Tit	1	1
Cetti’s Warbler	4	2
Chiffchaff	9
Dunce		1
Greenfinch	1
Kingfisher	1
Meadow Pipit	3
Reed Bunting	5
Reed Warbler	1
Robin	4
Sedge Warbler	4		1
Stonechat	2
Wren	2
	41	4	1

We caught a control Sedge Warbler ie a bird ringed elsewhere. This was the same bird that was caught on 22/9/26 during a Swallow roost catch. It was originally ringed by the North Wilts Ringing Group at Westdown Plantation on 18/9/26, so took four days to travel the 97km to the Wetlands, and had stayed here since, presumably fattening up before continuing on its migration. 

We caught two Stonechats, both of which had been hatched this year. One was a nice male, with a black head and slight white collar. There was a clear moult limit between the black Greater Coverts & the much browner Primary Coverts. It had also replaced five of its six Tertials, which were black like the Greater Coverts, but it had retained a brown juvenile outer Tertial on the right side. 

Young male Stonechat

Stonechat showing moult limit between Greater & Primary Coverts

Stonechat showing old Tertial

We caught an adult female Kingfisher, always worth a photo!

Kingfisher

We also caught three Meadow Pipits, all hatched this year. The older juvenile Greater Coverts have a very pale & tatty edge, whereas the replaced inner Greater Coverts & Tertials have a much more olive coloured edge & are in much better condition. The tail also had a juvenile appearance ie pointed & tatty, apart from the central pair of feathers which were much more rounded  and in better condition. 

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit showing moult limit

Meadow Pipit tail

Grace got used to handling a few birds, releasing them after they'd been processed. Then she processed her first bird.....a young Blue Tit.

Grace and her first bird!!

On 6/10/26 we had a large team of seven ringers so we used more nets than usual, putting up 10 in the reeds behind the Discovery Hut, the feeder area, around the Reed Base classroom & in the willows. It wasn't overly busy, but we did catch 74 birds of 15 species, including 50 new birds. We re-caught the control Sedge Warbler ringed in North Wilts on 18/9/26 & caught at the Wetlands on 22/9/26. It should really be on its way south, so hopefully we won't catch it again. Rather worryingly, it actually had less fat reserves this time than when we caught it on 22nd.

	Ringed	Retrapped	Control
Blackbird	3	2
Blackcap	3
Blue Tit	2	6
Cetti’s Warbler	3	3
Chaffinch	1
Chiffchaff	14
Coal Tit	1
Dunnock	4	1
Long-tailed Tit	4
Meadow Pipit	5
Reed Bunting	3	1
Reed Warbler		1
Robin	2	1
Sedge Warbler	1		1
Wren	4	8
	50	23	1

The Team at work in the Discovery Hut. 

We caught a young male Chaffinch, which had replaced its juvenile Greater Coverts, Carpal Covert & top Alula feather. 

Male Chaffinch

Wing of Chaffinch showing Post-juvenile Moult

The Team