Today we tried netting away from the usual area. The footpath is very slippery at this other place and being a thin strip of land between the River Colne and Broadwater Lake, with a footpath running along it, this isn't the easiest place to site nets. We took a selection of shorter nets and, with MRB and Margaret, got 4 singles up.
This is a regular site for wintering Chiffchaff, and it's unlikely that we would have otherwise tried here as the mud and brambles coupled with close proximity to water make it a place that requires great care when working. Further to this, most birds simply move away from the normal target area later in winter and we suspect that they congregate along the banks of the Colne .
We caught a few birds before the rain forced us to take down again, but not before we'd confirmed that some birds are moving over to the river in winter, thanks to Goldcrest EPV868, initially ringed 13th December 2014, that was retrapped. We also caught one of the Chiffchaffs - unfortunately it was not one of at least three ringed birds that we've observed there.
This is a regular site for wintering Chiffchaff, and it's unlikely that we would have otherwise tried here as the mud and brambles coupled with close proximity to water make it a place that requires great care when working. Further to this, most birds simply move away from the normal target area later in winter and we suspect that they congregate along the banks of the Colne .
We caught a few birds before the rain forced us to take down again, but not before we'd confirmed that some birds are moving over to the river in winter, thanks to Goldcrest EPV868, initially ringed 13th December 2014, that was retrapped. We also caught one of the Chiffchaffs - unfortunately it was not one of at least three ringed birds that we've observed there.
Chiffchaff
Totals: 9 (1)
Chiffchaff - 1
Goldcrest - 2 (1)
Long-tailed Tit - 4
Great Tit - 2