Lamsdell Bird Ringing and Wildlife Blog: Ken Hill, Bell Mount (Farm)

Sunday 19 December 2021

Ken Hill, Bell Mount (Farm) - 19th December 2021

Our last four days of December winter ringing at Ken Hill and it was back to the winter finch flock, in the fog, to try again to capture birds feeding up on the crop margins sown specifically to provide food for wild birds.

This time we adjusted the position of the nets. However, despite a sizable flock the behaviour had changed and most finches managed to evade us. The two nets placed near the farm feeder bucket did much better and we finished on 38 birds processed.

Juvenile Brambling female

Juvenile Brambling male

Jay colour-marked as part of the University of East Anglia study

Totals: 35 (3)

Blackbird - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 13
Great Tit - 0 (4)
Blue Tit - 4 (1)
Coal Tit - 1
Treecreeper - 1
Jay - 1
Chaffinch - 6
Brambling - 6

About us

Chris and Denise Lamsdell

We have both been birders for about 40 years based in South Bucks near the West London reservoir complexes.

Since September 2021 we have been based in North Norfolk. We have done our bit of twitching in the past, but with other priorities this has become a much reduced activity with a preference for seeing new birds where ever our travels take us.

We both have been ringing since 2005. Our local group was the Runnymede RG while based in Buckinghamshire. Since moving to Norfolk we have started a new group called The Iceni Bird Monitoring Group, aimed at increasing public engagement through colour ringing projects on Black-headed Gull, Turnstone and Lapwing. We ring at several sites including Sculthorpe Moor, Sandringham Estate, Deepdale Farm and also monitor bird populations for the Norfolk Rivers Trust. We do ringing at home and support with foreign projects when opportunities allow. Chris also has an interest in Butterflies and Dragonflies and contains his limited photographic skill to them.