Ringing in this hot weather so reminds me of ringing when we've been abroad. Just like our times in Cyprus, Israel, Portugal and most recently Gambia to name but a few, an early start pays dividends since the birds all but dry up completely by 10:30ish. From our seven nets we captured some roaming flocks (obvious when all birds are on the same side of the net). Round times were stepped up more frequently than usual and to limit take down time in the heat, nets performing less well were taken down from 9:30am onwards. In weather such as this, that's the beauty of not doing a CES! Extra care was taken when handling the black, metal poles since these do get very hot. Equipment (pliers, weighing pots and rulers) were also kept covered to prevent them from becoming excessively hot.
We do not have any natural shade on C6 and we have to use the very limited shadow thrown by the vehicle for the hottest days, but that does mean that we are acutely aware of how heat is affecting the site at all times. We have worked at sites where the heat and brightness comes as a bit of a shock when emerging from a cool, shady ringing base.
The numbers point towards migration starting to get underway, already the ratio of adult to young birds has dropped significantly.
Last birds ringed 10:50am. Off site 11:10am.
types) and yellow flowers, including large quantities of Ragwort.Birds are now
able to feed across the open area yet still benefit from a lot of cover. The
vegetation is waist high in many areas of the site
Totals: 84 (12)
Dunnock - 2 (1)
Blackbird - 1
Garden Warbler - 17
Blackcap - 31 (1)
Chiffchaff - 5
Long-tailed Tit - 1
Blue Tit - 8 (5)
Great Tit - 1