23rd April 2013 - Castle Eaton
![mp rooking](/images/2013sightings/mp_rooking.jpg)
By putting some nets up the night before meant an extra half hour sleep, but with the first bird of the morning being a Cuckoo calling in the pre-dawn gloom we wished we had got there earlier to set nets for it. By the time all the nets were open it was too light and the bird could see the nets. As we had set nets around the lake and in the willow plantations the catch was dominated by warblers with good numbers of Willow Warbler and Blackcap. There were quite a few were old friends with 2 Willow Warblers from 2011 and a Blackcap from 2010 the best of the retraps along with a Treecreeper from 2010. After packing up and while checking on the uptake of some of our nest boxes, a Redstart proved a nice find. A nice easy paced moringing with 37 new and 25 retraps. GD/PD/OF
Wren 1(4), Dunnock 1, Blackbird (1), Whitethroat 1, Blackcap 19(5), Chiffchaff 2(1), Willow Warbler 7(5), Long Tailed Tit (2), Great Tit (2), Treecreeper (1), Chaffinch 1, Goldfinch 2, Bullfinch 3(3), Reed Bunting (1)
With lots of quality migrants being reported around the county and with Matt's large catch at Swindon STW yesterday hopes were high of taking a good catch of migrants today, so we put up 17 60's. The first net round produced a few warblers including a Grasshopper Warbler along with a retrap Nightingale, our target species, that was originally caught as a juvenile in August 2010. Unfortunately that proved to be the best of it as once again the fog came down down for 2 hours and by the time it cleared up, all the birds had cleared off. A singing Redstart managed to give us the run around in the sunshine by avoiding the cunning net we had set for it, and the other 5 singing Nightingale's decided not to contribute any data to science. The first Whitethroat's of the year added some cheer late on and two more Grasshopper Warbler's were caught at a favoured site as we drove off the Plain. In all 40 new and 21 retraps were processed, a disappointing total for the time of year. GD/PD/OF
Willow Warbler 5(2), Chiffchaff 3(5), Wren 1(1), Goldcrest 1, Long Tailed Tit 1(1), Blackcap 11(1), Chaffinch 1, Grasshopper Warbler 3, Dunnock 3(7), Robin 2, Blue Tit 1, Linnet 1, Whitethroat 4(1), Song Thrush 1(1), Blackbird 2(1), Nightingale (1)
The first ringing trip to Salisbury Plain of the year after clearing net rides a few weeks ago. Hopefully my main study species, Nightingale, will have a better breeding season this year after not a single pair sucessfully fledged any young in 2012. Every type of weather possible this morning starting cold clear and frosty, then thick cold fog, then sunny, then cloudy and ending up with rain. Still, never mind when the first bird you hear singing when getting out the car is a Nightingale even if it did prove impossible to catch, singing from the densest patch of cover on site. The first net round produced 7 Willow Warbler's and a good few Blackcap's. As is often the case with migrants at this site that was more or less it with just a few birds each round afterwards. Some old friend were among the retraps, a 2012 Chiffchaff and a 2011 Blackcap. A flyover Swallow and Tree Pipit were the only other migrants noted. GD/PD
Dunnock 2(1), Song Thrush 2(1), Blackcap 12(1), Chiffchaff 5(1), Willow Warbler 7, Goldcrest 1, Long Tailed Tit (2), Blue Tit 1, Great Tit 2, Goldfinch 2, Bullfinch 2