Hoolie Week

Masai Mick summarises the week's activities:

 

What a week we have just had for cr** weather – it’s done nothing but blow a hoolie all week.

Ringing sessions could not be planned at all so it was just a matter of getting up and having a look and making a decision then.  So on Monday I headed out for a quick session leaving the house at 5 o'clock in order to get the nets up before first light.  I do have to say that when I arrived at the Reservoir it did cross my mind that I must be mad as the wind was whipping along the railtrack.  Anyway nothing ventured nothing gained.  So the nets went up and then came back down again shortl;y afterwards such that I was home for 9:30 having caught 24 new and 5 retraps -  not a great total but I did manage to ring a first year male REDSTART the first since 2008 and only our 15th since we started in 1976 .

Wednesday was even worse for weather and therefore numbers - only 18 new and 3 retraps - DIRE!!!!

Friday’s forecast was for better weather so off I went again this time with Jacana John and Adam along for company.  A much better day with 58 new 21 retraps and the Blackcap numbers had picked up again with 24 caught and the first real movement of Chiffchaff this autumn with 16 caught.

Finally we were out on Saturday for the last fling of the week, again in trying conditions, but this time we managed 56 new with 29 retraps.  Again we had lots of Blackcaps (ringing our 400^th for the year – a new record) and Chiffchaff with 17 and 18 respectively.  The highlights of the day were two late birds – a Grasshopper Warbler and a Garden Warbler as both these species have usually left Stanford by the third week in August.

mjt
 

Grasshopper Warbler - jgc

 

The totals for the week are