A Really Good Day!

Rain overnight and no wind meant water droplet photos!  These drops are on Blackthorn.

A Rose stem was hanging onto all of these rain drops.

After a walk around to collect water droplet photos it was back to the ringing room.  It was certainly  'A Lesre Day' (Lesre is the ringers' code for Lesser Redpoll).   There were 44 new Lesser Redpolls, 17 retraps and two controls.  Controls are birds that have been ringed elsewhere.  Their details will be sent to the BTO, who will tell us quite quickly where they were originally ringed.

Lesres were busy feeding on the feeder in the Hawthorn tree outside the kitchen.  They do sit still for a few moments but there is usually a piece of vegetation in front of them somewhere!

Other birds transiting the ringing room included 18 new Siskins, Treecreeper, Chaffinches, Bullfinches and Goldfinches.   A single male Brambling was caught, probably on his way north.  In the last couple of weeks 124 Lesres and 61 Siskin have been caught on the reserve.

Our first ringed Chiffchaff returned today, having been ringed as an adult in May 2011.  A task for someone good at maths to work out how many miles this bird has covered in its lifetime.  Unusually early, on another site, one of the ringing team caught the first Willow Warbler of the year - a fine male.

Also caught there, was a Tree Sparrow.

During the monthly flower walks we have been moaning that there are few flowers, but then we do remind ourselves that it is still early in the year and has been wet and cold.  We are just impatient.  Invertebrates have been even less in evidence.  Today there were slugs - sorry no photos.  A hoverfly was seen feeding from a Lesser Celandine.

Blackthorn was host to this tiny fly.

Now to be slightly whimsical and anthropomorphic.  These two Toads were sitting on the water plants in the lake.  You can't help but wonder what they were talking about. Are you sitting comfortably? (Notice the vegetation getting in the way!)

This Toad, photographed by Glennis (no vegetation in the way!) could not make it more clear that love is in the air.

Heading home down the access road, on the lookout for anything, a Roe Deer was spotted, then another sitting comfortably in a net ride.  I am sure that he knew he was being photographed.  He knew he was protected by the branches and yes, yet another piece of vegetation in the way, right across his eyes! You can see his beautiful antlers in velvet.

A really good day.  Thank you to the bird ringers who worked hard especially in some very muddy conditions.  Thank you to Glennis, Linda and Ken who helped during the day.