Just a Quickie...

It's cold, it's grey, it's damp, and so are we. What could be finer then, than to wander out in the dark and stick up a few nets?

So far we have ringed large numbers of warblers over the summer and especially the autumn, but now the warblers have all gone. For full details, readers are advised to wait for the annual report, which will be out in the New Year. We now have migratory thrushes coming down from the north, and so have ringed decent numbers of Redwing, Fieldfare, Song Thrush and Blackbird.  

First Fieldfare of the year, what a stonker!

The last few sessions have been a bit well, thin, with a hit of birds first round and then fairly sparse rounds after. However, we plough on. Recent storms have blown a few interesting birds in, and here is one such:

 

Definitely a Wagtail!

 

This is a very unusual bird to be mist netted at Stanford. In the UK, we usually have Pied Wagtails, Motacilla alba, subspecies yarrelli, which as the name suggests are largely black and white birds. However, on the continent the subspecies is called White Wagtail, M. alba alba (the nominate subspecies), which is much paler. Given the pale grey mantle on this juvenile, could it be the latter, which would be quite exciting? Cue much head scratching, looking in guides, and calling Chris H, our resident birder. Anyway, to cut a long story short, no this juvenile looks a bit paler perhaps than most, but fits easily within yarrellii. 

Still, an interesting discussion, and it supports the idea that birds who turn up at unusual times and in unusual places, are always worth a through examination!