The forecast looked a bit breezy for ringing at the Obs (much more exposed in a southerly) so I went to Walsey this morning (which can be more sheltered) whilst Bee covered the Obs, and it was a really successful days ringing, very much worth the 4am start!

We caught over 40 birds including 1 Coal Tit, 2 Great Tit, 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Reed Warbler, 4 Chiffchaff, 9 Blackcap, 7 Whitethroat, 4 Wren, 1 Blackbird, 2 Robin and 8 Dunnock, with many young birds on the go and most noticeably good numbers of Whitethroat and Blackcap!

We retrapped a female Blackbird that was originally ringed on the 1st June 2023 as a 3J so it’s nice that this bird has returned to breed! We do well for Dunnock at Walsey and we had a couple of retraps, an individual from last year and another individual originally ringed in September 2024.

Adult Whitethroat with an amazing bright eye!

At this time of year, the young birds are very fresh and fluffy with no wear to the flight feathers. Whereas adults on the other hand have been busy with the breeding season and raising their broods so are starting to look a bit worse for wear! We caught a few adult birds that had started their post breeding moult (where they notably replace all their flight feathers – primaries and secondaries), a Blackcap and Whitethroat. Most of our passerines here in the UK undergo a complete post breeding moult when they’re finished nesting, and these birds looked to be done already with the Blackcaps brood patch starting to feather over.

I took some photos today of a fresh Blackcap hatched this year, likely in the last couple of weeks or so, and an adult Blackcap to show you how the wings vary between adults and juveniles at this time of year (Blackcap are slightly more subtle than other species!).

Juvenile Blackcap wing – note fresh appearance of all feathers

Adult Blackcap wing in ‘main’ moult where it will replace all flight feathers. Primary feathers moult from the middle working to the right, so in this case there are some new feathers in pin/just coming out of sheath and then 7 old feathers, which have wear and bleaching at the feather tips).

We were treated to Water Rail chicks (black and fluffy) on Snipe’s Marsh, my first time ever seeing chicks! There was also a Cuckoo calling over the woods and there was a Common Lizard on the steps. All in all a lovely morning!

Shannon