Over Half Way

It was CES 7 out of 12 today and the last 4am start.  We are promised a lie in for CES 8, a 4.15am start!  Thank you to the ringing team who worked extremely hard to achieve a successful day.  It was made easier by the feeders being filled and the net rides strimmed and trimmed by the reserve managers and volunteers.  A huge thank you to them all, not forgetting Ken, Linda and John who support the ringers throughout the day with plenty of tea, and pie and other goodies.

We continued to ring more Bullfinches.  Wrens made their appearance in the ringing room along with Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs.  On release, instead of flying away this Wilwa or Chiff was searching happily for some food in the Privet Hedge! 

 As is usual by this time of year the majority of birds processed are juveniles as the adults are beginning their moult.  

Out on Spigot Mere at the end of the day, a Curlew was having a bath and then a preen, whilst the Oystercatchers were resting.  The House Martins are using the Mere for feeding, drinking and collecting mud.

Whilst the ringing was going on there was an event to celebrate our middle moor flower meadow.  The group of people walked across the moor and we identified many different flowers and saw a variety of butterflies.  One little one put her book to good use to ID some of the insects seen.

We then visited the corner where we sweep net.

Once the nets were full they were examined and the contents put into the white trays.

We did our best to identify the varied species caught, which included several species of spider, Timothy Bugs and a multitude of flies.

As the nets were safely locked away John and Janet were thrilled to have seen the Common Lizards in their usual area on the wetland.  Later I walked quietly up and sure enough there were at least two sitting on the boardwalk in the late afternoon sun.

There were few sightings of these elusive reptiles last summer and certainly no photographs so this was very special.