It's many. many years since PB started his study of the birds in the London parks and quite a while since we went out to help him monitor the birds. Every year, around the time that Wimbledon holds the tennis tournament, PB spends a couple of weeks hand catching Mute Swans, Canada Geese and what ever else he can catch with a hand net or swan hook.
It was a successful day with an assortment of Mallard, Egyptian Goose, Coot and Moorhen along with several swans.
At Roehampton University it was possible to ring all seven cygnets as well as catch and weigh the adults. The successful pair had relocated from Adam's Pond, Richmond.
A mixture of adult and pullus birds were processed.
Adjusting the ring on a young Moorhen
Taking a wing measurement on an adult Moorhen
Just one Coot at Wimbledon Lake, less cautious that all the other birds
Just like the grown-up
We also spotted a Coot fitted with a black lettering on white darvic fitted by BH at Hyde Park on 11th January this year.
FJ3 obliges with a clear view of the darvic
Another Woodpigeon
At the smaller ponds, especially close to housing, local residents are very attached to their swans and had questions and information for us. The birds are well cared for - but we didn't expect this!
Free bird food!!!
Cygnets of normal and 'Polish' colouring
Some of the work was to catch and ring young swans that had not been captured when their siblings were ringed earlier. Birds can become more wary and increasingly difficult to catch after successive attempts. One brood had a mix of normal (greyish) and 'Polish' (white down and pinkish grey bill and legs) - two of six were still to be ringed and both had to be left for another time.
Totals: 25 (plus a few rings read in the field)
Mute Swan - 9 pulli
Canada Goose - 1 pullus
Egyptian Goose - 3 adults
Mallard - 3 adults
Moorhen - 2 adults & 1 pullus
Coot - 1 adult and 2 pulli
Woodpigeon - 2 adults
Robin - 1 juvenile
Yes, there really was a Robin!